The Skylers
by Ferngully
Summary: Complete! Brad's childhood stalker comes for a visit! And to top it all off, he brings along his psychotic family! But don't fret it's not only about Brad! Everyone on the Blitz team gets to suffer equally! Mwuhaha! Er...it's based on this dream I had...
1. The Skyler Team

Okay, I've got this whole story planned out perfectly (a lot of it already written, too!). As scary as it is, it's actually based on this dream I had...really, no joke. It's really not suppose to be taken TOO seriously...sure the Skylers are criminally insane (though they're not TOO bad yet...it's only chapter one, after all), it's all in good fun! Also, there will most likely be no Zoids battles in this story since I, personally, can't write them, but that's all right! It's really just about a bunch of wackos that the Blitz team has to deal with over a span of about three days...well, enjoy! I'll try to type up chapter 2 as soon as I can (which I personally think is better than chapter 1, but chapter 1 must be told!). Enjoy, enjoy!   
  
Leena walked blissfully along in the hanger, cheerfully smiling to herself as she stared up at the magnificent Zoids as she passed. It had been 6 months since the Blitz team had won the Royal Cup and were promoted to Class S and they had been on a 7 game winning streak-why shouldn't she be happy?  
She could see Brad and Jamie far on the other side of the hanger, making repairs on the ShadowFox. It hadn't been damaged too badly, but they were better safe than sorry. And she had just seen her father; he was playing with his toy models, as usual. But that only left one question: where was Bit? Leena didn't have to wait long for an answer; she immediately spotted him at the hanger opening, talking to four complete and utter strangers. She blinked curiously as she stared at them. The oldest appeared to be a couple years older than her. He was a very big, tall, and muscular man, and, in Leena's opinion, looked very stupid, but in Leena's mind, everyone was stupid when compared to her. However, with his long, ultra-blond hair and bulky appearance, it was hard NOT to judge right away. The second man appeared to be Leena's age, tall and lanky, with a snotty expression across his face. He looked much like the older man, even without the muscles, both having the same look of arrogance, the same ultra-blonde hair, and a black band across their foreheads. However, the lanky man's hair was very short and spikey instead of long like the older one's. Still, Leena quickly inferred the two had to be brothers.  
The other two were both women. The oldest of the two was about Leena's age as well. She was pretty, with very short brown hair that curved right below her ears and a timid air about her. She stood very quietly, hands clasped, and head lowered. Leena felt sorry for her, having to hang around with what appeared to be very obnoxious men. The second girl was the youngest of the four, a year or two younger that Leena. She looked like the two men, with the same platinum blond hair that fell to the small of her back. She decided that the blond girl may be related to the two men also. After more observation, she noticed that all three had the same blue eyes. That clenched it for Leena; the three had to be siblings. The blond girl seemed somewhat arrogant, as well, though not as arrogant as her supposed older brothers. She actually seemed more bored than arrogant. However, Leena would have to get closer to get a better look.  
As she neared them, their speech began to become audible. She could hear Bit's voice clearly.  
"Oh! You're looking for Brad?" Leena's eyes widened in horror and she quickly made a dart toward Bit. "Well, he's right over-" Leena slapped her hand over Bit's mouth just in the nick of time. She gave the startled four a nervous grin.  
"What are you doing, Bit?!" she whispered angrily, unclamping her hand from his mouth.  
"What do you mean? All I was doing was-"  
"I know what you were doing, Bit!" she whispered loudly. "But don't you realize Brad's a MERCENARY? These guys might be trying to buy him off!" Bit looked at the four quizzically. His eyes then widened in realization.  
"Oh! Oh!"  
"Right, Bit." She then turned to the four and questioned, "Now just who are you? And what do you want with Brad?" The lanky man scoffed angrily.  
"Maybe it's none of YOUR business, girlie." he snapped, slightly shoving Leena where here collar bones met.  
"Hey!" Bit defensively exclaimed with narrowing eyes.  
"Well, you don't have to be so snotty about it!" Leena stated, her voice rising.  
"Now, now." the muscular man stepped between Leena and the lanky man. "You'll have to excuse my brother, Mikey." I knew it, Leena thought, I knew they were brothers! "My name is Ray Skyler." He extended his hand with a charming smile, but Leena wasn't particularly impressed. Still, she politely shook his hand, trying to hide her disgust as best as she could. "This is my brother, Mikey, and my sister, Dawn." He gestured to the blond girl. He then motioned to the brunette. "And that's Kylie Atwater. We're the Skyler Team." Kylie gave a meek smile.  
"They ARE a Zoids team!" Bit exclaimed.  
"Bit!" Leena elbowed him angrily and Bit groaned. She then let out a laugh and scratched the back of her head. "I'm Leena Toros and this is Bit Cloud. We're part of the Blitz team."  
"Leena-that's a pretty name." Ray stated and Leena laughed nervously at the man who towered over her.  
"Yeah, well…what do you want with Brad again?" she quickly changed the subject.  
"Oh, he's an old friend of mine."  
"Old friend?" Bit questioned suspiciously.  
"Yeah. We go WAY back." ray answered arrogantly causing Bit's eyes to narrow warily. "Where is he?" Bit glanced over at Leena to see if it was all right to answer. Leena shrugged in puzzlement. "He's, uh, working on the Shadowfox now…"  
"Thanks, kid."  
"Kid!" Bit protested, but Ray shoved right by him, his brother following close behind. "Hey! Those jerks…" Bit muttered.  
"You really think they're old time friends?" Leena asked.  
"I don't know." Bit answered honestly, rubbing his shoulder. He then looked up and his eyes brightened as he smiled a sly grin. "Hey! They left US with the girls…"  
"Oh, I'm SO excited." Leena sarcastically replied. Bit frowned, but stepped toward Kylie anyway.  
"HEY," he began. "So YOU'RE Kylie. I'm Bit." He gave her a wink and a smile. Leena couldn't help but sigh in disgust. Kylie's face turned beat red and she immediately averted her eyes to the ground.  
"Ahem." Dawn spoke up annoyed. "That's MIKE'S girlfriend."  
"She is?" Bit frowned in disappointment. "Sorry." He took a step back from Kylie.  
"Wait a sec. You're telling me a nice girl like you is going out with THAT jerk?" Leena questioned. Kylie nodded slightly, keeping her eyes glued to her feet. "Boy, I feel sorry for you."  
"How about you?" Bit began. "Dawn, right?"  
"Bit!" Leena exclaimed.  
"What?"  
"Don't you think she's a bit YOUNG for you?" Bit put his hand to his chin in contemplation.  
"I guess you're right." Leena's face lit up deviously.  
"But she IS about Jamie's age.  
"That IS true…" Bit's face slowly became devious as well.  
"Bit, are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Bit grinned.  
"A girl IS just what Jamie needs. Someone to help him relax every once in awhile."  
"So, it's a plan?"  
"Definitely."  
  
"Thanks for helping me out with the repairs on the Shadowfox." Jamie thanked Brad as they finished up.  
"No problem. Don't mention it." Brad answered. "Any time, Jamie."  
"I wish Leena and Bit would be a little bit more responsible and help out once in awhile."  
"Yeah, well, you know them." Brad replied, lifting up a tool box.  
"Brad Hunter!" a voice suddenly came from behind, one Brad recognized very well. Brad's face dropped, something Jamie had never seen before, as did the tool box, falling to the floor with a loud crash. Brad froze in his spot, as if refusing to turn around, and closed his eyes tightly.  
"This is a dream. A very bad dream. This has got to be some kind of nightmare!"  
"Brad, what's wrong?" Jamie inquired as the man walked toward them. "And who's that guy?"  
"Brad Hunter!" The man swung his large arm around Brad, causing Brad to groan in self pity. "Jeez, you've gotten bigger! Now, how long has it been? 4-5 years? You know, you're a hard man to find, Brad Hunter." The man let out a roar of laughter. "But I guess that doesn't matter now! As long as I found you!" He gripped onto Brad tightly and it took all of Brad's strength to push away from the towering man, who was almost two times bigger than him.  
"Ray Skyler." Brad stated in disgust. "What are YOU doing here?"  
"Looking for you, of course! My best friend in the whole world!" He slapped Brad hard across the back, almost knocking him over. And all the while Jamie watched in utter confusion. "It has been a long time, hasn't it?"  
"Not long enough." Brad muttered. Ray's large hand suddenly clasped onto Brad's wrist and he gave him a large yank.  
"Come on! There's someone I want you to meet!"  
"But-" Brad attempted to protest, but the self-centered Ray ignored him, pulling him across the hanger toward a blond lanky man. And as much as Brad tried, he wasn't able to pull away from the strong grip of Ray.  
"Who's that?" Dr. Toros asked Jamie, coming up from behind.  
"Oh. That's Ray Skyler." Jamie told Dr. Toros. "According to him, he and Brad are best friends. But I don't know, Doc. By the look on Brad's face, I think he thinks the opposite."  
  
"Hey, Mikey! This is Brad Hunter! The guy I've been telling you about." Ray exclaimed as he halted, a reluctant Brad having no choice to stop as well. Mikey gave Brad a suspicious eye and a growling sneer. Brad tried his best to ignore him and concentrated on prying his wrist from Ray's fingers. "We grew up together. Went to the same school and everything! We were the best of friends when we were kids!"  
"We…WERE?" Brad questioned, as he finally managed to yank his wrist from Ray's grip.  
"Sure we were!" Ray exclaimed, slapping Brad on the back again. Brad groaned. "Don't you remember, Brad?"  
"I remember you giving me a black eye once because I didn't want to go to the movies with you. And I remember you breaking my new bike because I wouldn't let you ride it. And I remember you ALWAYS having to get your way ALL the time-"  
"Do you remember me telling you about Mikey, Brad?" Ray asked, obviously ignoring Brad. Brad sighed in exasperation.  
"No. I'm sorry, Ray. I must have forgot." Brad answered through clench teeth.  
"Well, that's all right, Brad." He swung his arm around Brad's neck, nearly choking him. "I can't expect you to have a perfect memory like me." Brad grimaced. "You never met Mikey before because my parents got divorced when I was five. You see, I lived with my father-you remember my father, right?"   
"Yeah, whatever." Brad muttered, though, in truth, he had tried to block any memory of the Skyler family.  
"And Mikey and Dawny lived with my mom-hey! Where is Dawny?" He then began to call, "Dawny! Dawny, get over here so you can meet Brad!"  
"He's not very impressive." Mike muttered as a blond girl appeared. She was followed by a brunette Brad didn't know, Bit, and Leena.  
"Dawny, this is Brad."  
"So THIS is the Brad you ALWAYS talk about." Dawn replied in an aggravated disappointment. Brad didn't even attempt a smile.  
"And that's Kylie, Mikey's girlfriend." The brunette smiled weakly.  
"That's all very nice, but-"  
"We're part of the Skyler team." Ray interrupted Brad. "And you're part of the Blitz team now! You really have grown up, haven't you!" Brad pushed away as Ray went to muss his hair.  
"Wow, Brad!" Bit exclaimed. "That jerk really IS your long lost childhood friend!" Mike let out a fierce growl as he glared at Bit sadistically. Bit frowned as Brad shook his head in agony.  
"Well, any friend of Brad's is a friend of mine!" Dr. Toros exclaimed, coming up from behind, Jamie following him. "Why don't the four of you stay for dinner?"  
"Doc, I'm not sure if that's a good idea…" Jamie stated warily, looking at the expression on Brad's face.  
"Sure it is, Jamie!" Dr. Toros insisted. "What do you say?"  
"I don't see why not." Ray decided though Mikey scowled in annoyance.   
"Then it's all set!" Dr. Toros declared. "You better get dinner started, Jamie."  
"Nobody asked me how I felt about having to cook four extra meals…" Jamie mumbled, but reluctantly complied anyway, making his way to the kitchen.  
"Great! This is just great!" Ray exclaimed happily, hugging Brad vigorously.  
"Yeah," Brad muttered sarcastically. "Just great."  
  
Neither Bit nor Leena had ever seen Brad so undone before. The once calm and collected Brad had somehow become a complete nervous wreck, pacing back and forth in the hallway in utter panic. Meanwhile, in the dining room, the Skyler team had already taken their seats as did Dr. Toros, while Jamie had begun to serve dinner.  
"The guy is a complete psycho!" Brad finally spoke up in frustration.  
"Aw, Brad," Bit began optimistically. "He doesn't seem TOO bad. He likes you a lot, anyway."  
"Yeah, in a strange, psychotic, obsessive sort of way." Brad answered bitterly.  
"Well, think of it this way, Brad." Leena chimed in. "When it comes to stalkers, this Ray guy can't be any worse than Harry." Brad's face grew grim.  
"You'd be surprised."  
"That bad, huh?"  
"Well, if I were you, it wouldn't be Ray who'd I be worried about." Bit stated, crossing his arms. "I mean, what's up with that creepy brother of his?" He then shivered.  
"You mean Mikey?" Leena asked. Bit nodded. "Yeah, that guy gives me the creeps, too. And he's a big snot, if you ask me."  
"Ray used to tell me Mikey began decapitating rabbits when he was only three." Brad told them flatly. There was dead silence.   
"Okay, so the family's completely warped!" Bit exclaimed, breaking the silence after a few moments. "But that's no big deal! I'm sure that they're perfectly nice warped people."  
"That cut off rabbits' heads?" Leena questioned. "I don't think so!" She then shuddered. "That's so disturbing!"  
"And they're sitting in that dining room right now…" Bit's voice trailed off.  
"And Dad's acting as if they were-were-FAMILY or something!" Leena exclaimed. Brad lowered his head, closing his eyes.  
"Doc always did have a few screws loose." he replied.  
"Hey!" Leena cried furiously, in defense of her father.  
"Um, Leena?" Bit spoke up and Leena's fury left her as quickly as it had come.   
"Yeah?"  
"I was thinking. The whole thing with Jamie? Maybe it's a bad idea." Leena gasped.  
"What thing with Jamie?" Brad inquired curiously.  
"I completely forgot! We've got to get started on that!" she exclaimed, taking Bit's arm.  
"But Leena, I don't think Dawn's exactly…RIGHT…for Jamie." Bit protested.  
"Oh, come on! She's not as bad as her brothers!" Leena persisted, but Brad stepped in front of them.  
"Hold on a second. You two are going to try and get Jamie and Ray's sister together?" Both Leena and Bit nodded. "What do you want to do? Have Jamie suffer?" Leena sighed in frustration, releasing Bit's arm.  
"Jeez, Brad! Don't you think you're making too much of this? She's not THAT insane!"  
"She's a Skyler, Leena. And anything Skyler is EVIL."  
"Isn't that a bit judgmental, Brad?" Bit questioned.  
"Well, you're against the idea, aren't you?"  
"Um-I-" Bit stammered staring at Leena's agitated face fearfully. "Not ENTIRELY…"  
"It'll be romantic!" Leena insisted. She clasped her hands together, her eyes growing dreamy. "Can you just imagine it? Jamie, finding his first true love in Dawn. And then Dawn, speechless as he declares his love for her, realizes that he, too, is her one and only. They're on the beach, the sun sets, they kiss-"  
"And then she drowns him in the ocean." Brad interrupted callously, crossing his arms.  
"Ooh! Ooh! Or maybe Mikey can sneak up from behind and decapitate him like he does with the rabbits!" Bit suggested excitedly. Leena's face dropped angrily, unclasping her hands and bringing them to her sides in tight fists. She groaned in aggravation.  
"Must you two be so morbid?!" she questioned feverously.  
"Fine. How about she buries him alive in the sand? Is THAT less morbid for you?" Brad sarcastically answered. Leena sighed exasperated.  
"Brad!" a voice exclaimed. It was Ray. Brad groaned, putting his hand to his head. "Come on, Brad! Dinner's ready!" He took Brad's arm and pulled him forward. He then pushed Brad toward the dinning room. Leena followed warily. However, Ray stopped Bit with his huge arm.  
"You two go on without us. I've got to talk to Bitty alone." Ray stated.  
"Did he just call me Bitty?" Bit asked, but Brad and Leena were already gone. Ray swung his arm around Bit as Bit's face became quite puzzled.  
"So, Bitty, are you and Leena…seeing each other?"  
"Seeing each other…?" Bit asked in perplexity.  
"You KNOW. Is she your girl?"  
"My…girl?" Bit's face suddenly grew bright red. "Eew, no! Of course not!" Bit blurted out. "That would be way too weird!"  
"Then she's ALL mine." Ray grinned arrogantly. Hm…I wonder what Harry will say, Bit wondered. He had little time to think about this, however, before a sharp pain went through his body as Ray gave him a hard slap across the back. "Thanks, Bitty-boy, for the little tid-bit on Leena."  
"Hey, wait!" Ray stopped. "What about Brad? I thought you were completely devoted to him." Ray chuckled.  
"Bitty, Leena and Brad are entirely different." he began.  
"They are?"  
"Obviousy." Ray replied haughtily. "You see, Bit, girls-they come and go. But Brad-he's special. He's special." He then walked off, still smiling pompously to himself as Bit's face dropped, his mind not knowing what to think.   
"Right…" Bit's voice trailed off and he the reluctantly followed Ray into the dining room, his thoughts still a jumble of confusion. 


	2. A Night Out

Well, here's chapter 2...I like this chapter better so I typed it up fast even though I only got one review so far...oh, well! It's all in good fun! So read and enjoy! Oh, yeah! Naomi and Leon are in this chapter! Yay! And I'm sorry for all those Harry Champ fans out there (I'm personally a big fan of his!) but he's not in this chapter either =( However, he is in chapter 3! Now if I can only get around to typing it all up...well, R&R!   
  
"So, Jamie, what do you think of Dawn?" Leena whispered to Jamie who sat beside her at the dinner table.  
"What do you mean, what do I think?" Jamie questioned her.  
"Well, do you think she's pretty?" Leena asked. "I guess so…" Jamie answered, looking over at the blond girl. "Why do you ask?"  
"No reason." Leena replied quickly, taking a bite from her food. At that moment, Ray gave Bit a flashy smile and a wink. He then turned to Leena.  
"So, Leena, are you doing anything tonight?" Leena almost began to choke on her food as she started to cough violently.  
"Leena! Are you all right?" Dr. Toros cried, rising from his seat.  
"Don't worry, Doc!" Bit exclaimed, patting her on the back. "She'll be fine…" After regaining herself, Leena looked up at Ray with a weak smile.  
"Well?" he questioned, with his flashy grin still upon his face. "What do you say? Me and you? Tonight?"  
"Well-I-" she stammered. "I'd LOVE to, Ray, but, you see-uh-don't you want to spend quality time with Brad? You two must have SO much catching up to do…" Brad's eyes lit up in fear at this.  
"I guess that IS true." Ray said, putting his arm around Brad.  
"Oh, no! Don't waste your time with ME." Brad began desperately. "I INSIST you go out with Leena tonight. You two make a…er…really good couple." Leena's eyes grew fierce.  
"BRAD." she stated through clenched teeth.  
"LEENA." Brad growled back.  
"Boy, this is a great meal we're having!" Bit suddenly exclaimed, trying to break the tension between Leena and Brad. "Great job, Jamie!" Leena's eyes brightened at the change in subject.  
"That's right! Don't you think Jamie's a GREAT cook, Dawn?" Leena questioned hopefully. Dawn shrugged.  
"He's okay, I guess." she replied unenthusiastically. Leena and Bit frowned as Jamie's face grew red with embarrassment and confusion. Brad groaned in disgust.  
"So, I hear the Skyler family is quite wealthy." Dr. Toros stated, starting the first normal conversation of the evening."  
"Wealthy?" Leena inquired curiously. Bit nudged her with a wide grin.  
"I guess it's only the rich psychos who like you, huh?" he whispered obnoxiously to her with a snicker. Leena's face grew wild with fury.  
"Bit Cloud!" she whispered fiercely, slamming her foot down on his.  
"Ow!" he yelped and then whimpered. Kylie let out a small giggle and a genuine smile, but with a growl and glare from Mikey, it soon disappeared.  
"Yes, the Skyler family IS very wealthy." Ray began snobbishly. "But I'm sure Brad's told you all about me, hasn't he?"  
"No, he hasn't, actually…" Dr. Toros's voice trailed off awkwardly.  
"I guess I must have forgot." Brad lied in agitation. Ray laughed loudly and gave Brad a hard smack across the back, almost causing Brad to fly from his seat.  
"That Brad, always forgetting things! It's almost like he WANTS to forget!" He chuckled loudly again, hitting Brad against the back once more. Dr. Toros laughed nervously now, trying his best to smile, an awkward look of worry across his face.  
"Ray's going to kill him, you know," Leena whispered to Bit, "if he keeps hitting Brad like that."  
"So, Kylie," Jamie began innocently. "How long have you and Mike been going out?" Kylie looked down at her food quickly.  
"A year and a half." Mike answer for her, in a low, menacing voice.  
"Doesn't she talk for herself?" Jamie questioned. Mike growled and Jamie shrunk back in his seat in fear.  
"Be brave, Jamie." Leena said, putting her hand on his shoulder. "Be brave." Jamie only gulped as Mike stared sadistically at him.  
"Sometimes…" he finally muttered coldly. Kylie whimpered.  
"Well, then," Dr. Toros began to Ray, his voice cracking, "You're brother sure is…delightful."  
"Isn't he?" Ray exclaimed. Brad shook his head in disagreement, but Ray didn't seem to notice.  
"So, um, what are you all doing tonight?" Dr. Toros continued, voice still breaking.  
"Oh, I don't know," Ray began and then swung his arm harshly around Brad, causing Brad to wince in pain. "I thought me and Brad could catch up on old times-"  
"That's a wonderful idea!" Dr. Toros exclaimed with too much enthusiasm, rising from his seat. "Why doesn't BRAD take all FOUR of you out into town tonight. You could all go to the local club-"  
"DOC," Brad began in angry desperation. "Don't I have something to DO tonight?"  
"Don't be silly, Brad!" Dr. Toros persisted. "Go out and enjoy yourself! How about you all leave now? When the night's still young?"  
"Dut, Doc-" Brad's eyes darted across the table and set on Leena who was taking a drink at the moment. "Leena!" She spit her drink back into her cup and looked up at Brad with wary eyes. "Why don't you come WITH us?"  
"What? Why?"  
"BECAUSE," he glanced at Ray and then back at Leena. "You and RAY can get to know each other better."  
"Are you crazy?!"  
"LEENA."  
"BRAD."  
"I'll come, too!" Bit cried desperately with tightly shut eyes, in hopes to break up their dispute, though he knew he'd most definitely regret his offer. Both Brad and Leena stared at Bit in utter shock and all Bit could do was shrug weakly.  
"That's great! It'll be like a big party, just the seven of us!" Ray exclaimed, slapping Brad hard across the back, causing Brad's stomach to hit into the edge of the table with a thud and a groan.  
"Well," Leena began, deciding if she was to suffer, so would everyone. "Why doesn't Jamie come, too?"  
"Huh?" Jamie let out in a startled voice.  
"You can get to know Dawn more!" Leena explained.  
"But I don't want to get to know Dawn more!" Jamie busted out frantically. Mike's eyes then shot toward Jamie with a psychotic glare as he began to growl. And Jamie was almost certain that he hear a bark escape Mike's lips. So, Jamie gulped, let out a whimper, and reluctantly replied, "Sure, I'd love to go with you all."  
"That's great!" Ray declared, rising from his seat and forcefully pulling Brad up with him. "Let's get going!"  
"I guess it'll be interesting." Dawn stated flatly as she slowly stood up. Mike rose, too, and stared down at Kylie with cold eyes.  
"Kylie," he commanded with a snap of his fingers and Kylie shot up immediately. Bit frowned as Leena grimaced at this, but the two rose reluctantly from their seats as well.  
"See you all later!" Dr. Toros called joyously as Jamie began to take to his feet.  
"Yeah, like that's fair, Doc," he muttered. "Sending us off to suffer while you play with your toy models." But Dr. Toros just smiled pleasantly to himself.   
"It's times like these I'm glad I'm not young.  
  
Naomi and Leon sat at the bar, both calmly sipping their drinks. The club was roaring, from people dancing on the dance floor to people chatting and eating at tables. Naomi eyed the door, hoping a certain someone might show up that night.  
"Waiting for someone?" Leon asked. Naomi smiled deviously.  
"Maybe." she answered, taking another sip from her drink.  
"He'll probably show up." Leon stated.  
"I hope so." she replied. "The night will be boring otherwise."  
The doors of the club suddenly swung open with a bang. Naomi turned to see a tall, large, and muscular blond man with his arm tightly around a very distraught Brad.  
"Brad?!" Naomi questioned, startled, though Brad was too far to hear her.  
"Who's that guy with him?" Leon asked, equally confused as Naomi.  
"I don't know." she answered. Soon, Brad and the very large man were followed by Bit, Leena, and Jamie as well as three other people Naomi didn't recognize. Naomi started toward them, and Leon followed cautiously, a few feet behind her.  
"Naomi!" Brad exclaimed, surprised to see her.  
"Hi," Naomi began with a cool smile, despite her puzzlement. "And who's this?" She eyed the blond man. Brad scoffed in disgust and managed to push away from him.  
"Naomi, this is Ray Skyler. Ray, this is Naomi Fluegel." Brad hastily introduced them without much enthusiasm. Ray gave Naomi a charming grin.  
"Naomi, huh?" he began, bending forward in order to look her in the eyes. "That's a pretty name. So…you're a friend of Brad's?" Naomi gave him a sly smile.  
"Sort of." she replied mischievously. "We're more than friends, if you know what I mean." She gave Brad a wink. But Brad frowned, wishing she had just given Ray a simple "yes." Jealousy quickly began to fiercely flame in Ray's eyes.  
"Oh, I see." Ray began. He hastily and possessively took hold of Brad's arm and Brad winced in pain as he felt his arm begin to bruise under Ray's tightening fingers.  
"So, how do you know Brad exactly?" Naomi pondered, not noticing Ray's envious rage and oblivious to the pain Brad's arm was forced to endure.  
"We're best friends." Ray informed her defensively. "Ever since we were little. Best friends all our lives."  
"Really?" Naomi started with much surprise. "He never mentioned you before." Ray's eyes narrowed with anger as Brad's eyes squinted in pain as Ray's grip grew fiercer.  
"He HASN'T, has he?" Ray furiously asked through clenched teeth. Brad bit his lower lip in an attempt to deal with the pain surging through his arm. Ray then glared at Brad. "Brad, can I TALK to you?"  
"But, I-" Brad tried to protest, but Ray was already pulling him away.  
"See you later, Brad!" Naomi called to him with a wave, puzzlement filling her face. She lowered her arm slowly as Leon took a step beside her.   
"What happened?" he asked. Naomi, however, was just as dazed and confused as him.  
"I don't know."  
  
"I don't like her." Ray stated firmly, pulling Brad along against his will. His face was full of fury.  
"You…don't?" Brad asked.  
"No, I don't."  
"But-"  
"Because I don't!" Ray came to an abrupt halt at this, Brad almost losing his balance in the process. Ray's face, which was enraged, suddenly brightened happily. "Leena!" The two were off again toward Leena, Ray pulling Brad the whole way, his hand still tightly secured around Brad's arm.  
"He's so weird!" Leena was telling Leon as they approached. "And he has this sick obsession with-Ray!" Leena exclaimed upon noticing them. "And Brad, too!"  
"Hello, Leena." Ray greeted her with a debonair smile.  
"Hi, Leena." Brad muttered miserabley. Leon quickly extended his had to Ray.  
"My name's Leon," he introduced himself politely. "I'm Leena's brother. It's a pleasure to meet you." After a moment of perplexity, Ray grinned charmingly.  
"I'm Ray Skyler." he stated, finally releasing Brad's arm to shake Leon's hand. Brad let out a sigh of relief and rubbed his now bruised arm.  
"That's, uh, some grip you got there." Leon said after they released each others hands. He shook his hand a bit in slight pain but continued on smiling politely.  
"I know." Ray arrogantly answered and laughed loudly. Brad groaned and Leena smiled nervously. "Dawny!" Dawn approached then, followed by a depressed Jamie. "Are you having fun?"  
"Yeah, whatever." Dawn muttered in agitation.  
"You know," Ray said, pensively placing his hand to his chin. "You and Jamie make a cute couple."  
"Yeah, well, maybe if he wasn't so boring…" Dawn's voice trailed off callously as Jamie groaned in self-pity.  
'She keeps insulting me." Jamie told Leena and Leena tried her best to smile.  
"I'm sure it will work out…" she lied.  
"Why don't you two go and dance?" Ray suggested. Dawn shrugged.  
"Whatever. He'll probably suck at it anyway." Jamie groaned again, but he reluctantly followed Dawn anyway.  
"Bye, Jamie." Leena said with a sorrowful voice, feeling sorry for him.   
"They make such a cute couple." Ray declared, smiling obliviously. "Don't they make a good couple, Brad?" He slapped Brad hard across the back for the umpteenth time. Brad, now feeling utterly hopeless, didn't even attempt to regain his balance, but luckily Leon took hold of both of his shoulders to keep him from falling flat on his face.  
  
Meanwhile, Bit had taken a seat at a booth, Kylie and Mike sitting opposite him. That's when Naomi approached.  
"Hey, Bit." she said, taking a seat beside him. "What's up with that guy Brad's with? He seems kind of…off." Mike growled slightly, but Bit ignored him and Naomi didn't seem to notice.  
"Oh, that's just Ray." Bit answered. "He's a little coo-coo, if you know what I mean." Kylie let out a giggle, but as soon as Mike slammed his fist against the table, her laughter ceased. Naomi, though very startled, continued her conversation with Bit.  
"I don't know. But I don't think he likes me very much." Bit shrugged.  
"Oh, he's probably just jealous. He's got a thing for Brad…or something."  
"You mean he's…?"  
"Not exactly." Bit answered. "He likes Leena, too. It's hard to say, really." There was a moment of silence.  
"So, who are these two?"  
"Oh, this is Ray's brother, Mike, and Mike's girlfriend, Kylie Atwater." Mike grimaced and Kylie lowered her head.   
"Pleasant, aren't they?" Naomi joked with a sly grin. Mike growled bitterly at her.  
"I wouldn't joke with them if I were you." Bit whispered a warning to Naomi, but the fearless Naomi took no heed, giving him a simple shrug.  
"So…" she began in amusement. "You two are going out?" Kylie gave a slight nod, though her eyes failed to leave the table.  
"Yeah." Mike stated in a coarse voice. "What's it to you?"  
"Ooh. Attitude." Mike growled once more. She turned to Bit with a smirk. "What's with the growl, huh?"  
"Oh, that." Bit began. "That's his trademark." He suddenly noticed Kylie raise her eyes a little to look at him, a small smile appearing on her face. Bit grinned, hoping to impress her, and added. "I think he thinks he's a dog or something." Kylie giggled a moment, but she abruptly stopped as Mike growled ferociously, slamming his fist on the table. Upon realizing this, Naomi's face filled with annoyance. She sharply turned her eyes toward Kylie.  
"So, Kylie, how did you and Mike meet exactly?" Kylie, of course, lowered her head, waiting for Mike to answer for her, which he did.  
"We met-"  
"I was asking KYLIE." Naomi callously interrupted. Kylie became frightened as she bowed he head even more. "Just who do you think you are, anyway?" Treating your girlfriend like that?" Mike, his eyes cold with anger, rose from his seat.  
"I think that's it's none of your business, you stupid little bitch." Naomi grew enraged as she stood up as well, slamming her hands against the table.  
"Well, I think you're a sexist jack-ass!"  
"Naomi, please!" Bit whispered, desperately pulling at her harm for her to sit down. "This guy is dangerous! Brad says he decapitated-"  
"Mikey!" Ray's voice boomed as he neared the booth, dragging Brad along as he usually did. Bit suddenly felt a great fear swell in the pit of his stomach as he noticed the look of hopeless-almost suicidal-agony on Brad's face; the unbreakable Brad had begun to crack. After all, if Brad was losing it, Bit certainly didn't stand much of a chance against the Skyler family. Following them, Leena and Leon approached, Leena warily and Leon somewhat dazed. "There's someone I want you to meet." Ray continued on and gestured toward Leon. "Mikey, Kylie, this is Leena's brother, Leon. Leon, this is my brother, Mikey, and his girlfriend, Kylie Atwater."  
"It's a pleasure to meet you both." Leon said politely and extended his hand to them. However, neither one even looked up at him and he retracted his arm in a confused disappointment.  
"He's a chauvinistic ass, that's what he is." Naomi coldly said, her eyes locked on Mike's eyes, the tension still fuming between the two of them. Ray, suddenly noticing Naomi's presence, grew unnerved.   
"Oh, it's HER." Ray then placed his free hand on Mike's shoulder, his other hand tightly around Brad's arm. "Don't worry about her, Mikey. She seems to have a way of pissing EVERYBODY off."  
"Excuse me?" Naomi began, offended, but Bit quickly yanked her back to her seat. Mike stared awhile longer before grunting and taking his seat as well.  
"So, are we all having a good time?" Ray asked, cheerful now. "Mikey?"   
"Yeah…"  
"Kylie?" She only nodded slightly. "Well, that's good." Naomi scoffed.  
"Both of you are a couple of jerks." she muttered, crossing her arms and closing her eyes. Before Ray could speak, anger boiling in his eyes, Leena spoke up.  
"Wow! Don't Jamie and Dawn look so cute together, dancing like that?" she exclaimed with a tone of artificial cheer. Ray looked over at the dance floor.  
"Yes. Yes, they do." he replied in proud satisfaction. However, in truth, they both looked very awkward standing there, barely dancing at all, Dawn out of arrogant apathy and Jamie out of utter fear. But Ray continued to grin in proud stupidity at his younger sister while Brad groaned. Bit frowned and Leena smiled nervously.  
"Leena?" Leon began, a very concerned look spreading across his face as he took her arm. "Can I talk to you for a second? ALONE?" Leena looked at Ray, trying to smile, and then back at Leon."  
"Um, sure. No problem. We'll be back in, uh, just a moment, Ray."  
  
  
"Where did you meet these people?!" Leon questioned Leena when they were off to the side.  
"I was trying to explain it to you earlier." Leena began, trying to be nonchalant about the situation. "Ray's Brad's childhood stalker. It's no big deal."  
"No big deal?!" Leon was in an outraged shock. "Are you crazy?!"  
"No, but THEY are." Leena replied.  
"I don't know how you can be so calm about all of this!" Leon protested. "It's obvious that there is something very wrong with those four disturbing individuals." Leena shrugged.  
"I don't know. I guess I'm kind of getting use of them by now. They sort of grow on you after awhile." She then smiled. "Besides, there's nothing to worry about, anyway, Leon. It's only for tonight. By tomorrow, the psycho Skyler family will be just a memory of the past."  
"I hope you're right." Leon said doubtfully, eyeing Ray as he swung his arm tightly around Brad. "They seem kind of clingy if you ask me…" Leena just laughed as if the idea was ludicrous.  
"Trust me: tomorrow, they're gone."   
Suddenly, they're was a loud thud and a whimper from the dance floor. Both Leon and Leena turned to see Jamie on the ground, in some obvious pain, an aggravated Dawn towering over him, her hands on her hips in utter disgust. She spoke to him in a cold, callous, unfeeling voice: "Idiot." 


	3. Enter the Champ Family

Yay! Finally! Chapter 3! Completed! And, hey, it's actually a few pages longer than chapter 1 or 2 (it's about eight pages...the others were about 5). Chapter 4 will probably be short though, so...Anyways, Harry Champ finally hits the scene! Yay! And his sister, Mary, too! Double Yay! I always loved Mary, so I put her in. But don't worry; I didn't just throw her in. She has purpose! Oh, yeah, a question may have come up about Ray and his...er...ambiguous sexuality. Is he gay, bi, or straight? Well, as the author I personally have NO idea...funny how these things work out. Actually, I really don't think Ray has any idea either...Which ever way you want to interpet his love for Brad is up to the reader, really-whatever way you may think is the funniest. But don't ask me! Because I really don't know...well, anyway, let the sick, sadistic, black humor continue on...(and try to remember not to take it TOO seriously!):   
  
Leena skipped down the hall early that morning, brightened that a new day had finally begun. Yesterday was over, a peaceful day somehow turned into a hellish nightmare, and Leena was glad of it. No longer would she have to deal with the creepy Skyler family, in all their insanity; she was free.  
Deciding she was hungry, Leena quickly made her way to the kitchen. She would have a small snack before breakfast. However, when she entered the kitchen, her eyes widened in horror. Her mouth gaped open, but she was too petrified to even speak. There was Ray Skyler: making breakfast.  
Leena stumbled backwards into the hallway, the utmost fear filling her, Ray luckily not seeing her. She leaned against the wall, trying to calm her breathing and rationalize her thoughts. That's when Brad came strolling down the hallway toward her.  
"It's Ray. He's-he's-" Leena stammered to him. Brad sighed.  
"Making breakfast? I could have told you that," he miserabley replied and entered the kitchen. Leena, her fear subsiding, followed him in.  
"Brad!" Ray greeted him. "I'm making you all breakfast."  
"I SEE," Brad answered, raising an annoyed eyebrow as he crossed his arms.  
"Leena," Ray winked at her upon noticing her presence. Leena resisted the urge to gag with all her might.  
"So, Ray, WHY are you making breakfast exactly?" brad questioned, trying to hold his temper.  
"Because! It's the least we could do after dinner last night and all. Mikey and the others are setting the table in the dining room.  
"Oh, yeah. Well, that's just great," Brad sarcastically muttered.  
"But how did you get in here?" Leena interrogated. Ray seemed dumbfounded.  
"Well, I AM Ray Skyler," he stated as if the answer was obvious He then grinned and went back to making breakfast.  
"Right…" Brad began. "Look, RAY, I really appreciate this, but it's not-"  
"Brad," Ray suddenly interrupted, his face and voice unexpectedly becoming deadly serious. "There's something I need to talk to you about." Brad became a bit nervous as he shifted awkwardly in his spot.  
"Yes, Ray?"  
"It's this Naomi Fluegel," he started, a jealous rage growing in his eyes as he gripped onto a glass. "I don't think she's good for you. I don't think you should see her anymore."  
"You don't? I know you don't like her, but-" Ray suddenly smashed the glass onto the counter, shattering it into pieces. Brad was silent then, nervously jumping back as did Leena. Leena was sure she heard a growl escape Ray's lips that sounded strangely like Mikey's.  
"Do we have an understanding, Brad?" Ray asked in a low, psychotic voice.  
"But, Ray, if you just got to know her a little better-" Ray smashed another glass, his face getting darker in rage. Leena tightly gripped Brad's arm  
"Just drop it, Brad!" she told him in a whisper. "Okay? before Ray jabs a piece of glass through your eye!"  
Bit then came in, yawning, eyes closed and arms outstretched.  
"Well, I'm glad those Skylers are gone," he said as he yawned. "Bunch of wackos." He rubbed his eyes and slowly began to open them. "It's a good thing, too, because-ah!" His eyes were now fully opened and set on an oblivious grinning Ray. Bit clung onto Brad for dear life and whispered, "What is HE doing here?!"  
"Don't ask." Brad muttered, lowering his head in misery.  
"I'm making breakfast!" Ray exclaimed with stupid cheer. Bit tried not to look disgusted by Ray, but he couldn't help it.  
"You think this is bad?" Leena whispered to Bit. "The rest of the psycho family is in the dining room!"  
"But…WHY?!"  
"Setting the table, of course," Leena answered bitterly. Bit's face then became quizzical as he noticed the shattered glass on the kitchen floor.  
"Hey," he whispered to Brad. "What's with the glass?" Brad groaned in response and Bit frowned. Leena then stomped her foot sternly, agitation building in her eyes.  
"That's it!" she declared firmly. "We're having a team meeting!"  
  
"What are they still doinig here?!" Dr. Toros questioned, gesturing toward the kitchen area where the Skyler team remained for the moment. The BLitz team had gathered in the living room before breakfast in order to discuss the problem known as the Skylers.  
"The guy's a stalker." Leena stated matter-of-factly, resting her chin in her hand. "What do you expect?"  
"Maybe you ought to get a restraining order, Brad," Bit suggested.  
"Don't you think I've already tried?" Brad miserabley replied. Bit frowned.  
"But who let them in?" Dr. Toros persisted.  
"That's what I'd like to know," Leena agreed.  
"Isn't it obvious?" Brad muttered. "Ray let HIMSELF in."  
"But-how?" Dr. Toros continued to question.  
"Well, maybe if you spent more money on a security system, Doc, instead of your Zoid models or those ridiculous Zoid parts we can't even use…" Jamie's voice trailed off. Bit then rose.  
"Hey! Hey! Hey!" he began. "We can't allow these Skylers to break us! We have to work as a team! Otherwise, we'll never get rid of them."  
"That reminds me," Leena then started. "How ARE we going to get rid of them?" There was a moment of silence before they all turned and looked at Brad for the answer.  
"What are you looking at me for?" he questioned, crossing his arms with a scoff.  
"Well, you got rid of them the last time, didn't you?" Leena explained.  
"Correction: I got rid of RAY."  
"And now there's three more of them…" Jamie began, his voice trailing off.  
"In our kitchen right now…" Dr. Toros finished with a shudder.  
"Don't be such cowards!" Leena exclaimed.  
"Leena's right!" Bit agreed. "We can't give up yet! Now Brad-" Brad exhaled in agitation. "How did you get rid of Ray last time?" All four looked at Brad anxiously.  
"You're all making too much of this," Brad stated. "All I did was run away." Bit, Leena, Jamie, and Dr. Toros's faces dropped.  
"Ran away?!" They all questioned simultaneously in utter disappointment.  
"What else did you expect me to do?"  
"Something a bit braver?" Bit suggested. Brad glared at Bit in annoyance, but continued on telling his story anyway.  
"It was about five years ago," Brad began. "I just couldn't take HIM anymore so I just ran off without a sign or a trace. I even thought about changing my name. Well, one day, a week or two after I left, I met up with this Zoids team. They said they needed a new player and they'd pay me good, and since I was poor at the moment I thought, 'what the hell?'  
"I was a fast learner-I guess I owe some of that to Ray; he let me pilot his father's Zoids every once in awhile. but I was too scared to stay in one place for too long-Ray might find me out-so after a couple months, I left and migrated to a new team. And that's how I became a mercenary, never staying with one team too long. I replaced my hatrid of Ray with a love of money. After all, he was rich and he ALWAYS seemed to get his way.  
"But then, about a year ago, I joined the Blitz team. I guess I got careless or lazy-I don't know-but I chose to stay with you guys for the last year instead of leaving after a month or two," Brad then heaved a great sigh. "I guess I have no choice, though, but to pack up my things and run again."  
"What?!" Leena questioned in an outrage. "And leave us to deal with the psychos! No way!"  
"Not to mention we need you on the team, Brad," Dr. Toros added. Brad just shrugged.  
"This is ridiculous!" Bit finally exclaimed. "Why don't you just get a restraining order or something, like I said before? Let the law take it from there."  
"Yeah," Jamie agreed. "It will make a lot more sense than running away."  
"Didn't I tell you that I've TRIED that already?" Brad argued. "It WON'T work. He's rich-he's got too much influence. God, I've tried EVERYTHING and NOTHING works!"  
"Maybe you should try killing him. That'll work." Leena muttered.  
"Leena! Don't be crazy!" Jamie exclaimed.  
"Now, now, now, Jamie," Dr. Toros began, putting his hand on Jamie's shoulder. "The idea has some merit.  
"Doc!"  
"I'm only joking!"  
"This isn't the time to be kidding around!" Bit firmly stated. "This is a time to be serious! We have a real problem on our hands." Brad just shook his head.  
"I guess I better start packing."  
"Hey! You can't abandon us!" Bit exclaimed.  
"Yeah!" Leena agreed. "If you think Ray's bad, wait until I'M pissed off!" Brad sighed.  
"Well, I've got a lot of options," he muttered sarcastically.  
"Look, we're in this as a team," Dr. Toros decided.  
"Yeah, Brad. We want to help you out!" Jamie added.  
"A lot of help you guys will be. You'll probably make it worse."  
"I'll-I'll pay you!" Dr. Toros desperately exclaimed. "So long as you don't leave us to the Skylers!"  
"Doc, you ALREADY pay me."  
"More! I'll pay you more!" Brad raised an intrigued eyebrow.  
"How MUCH more?" Dr. Toros frowned. Luckily, Ray barged in before he was forced to answer.  
"Breakfast is ready!" he exclaimed loudly. Everyone gave him a nervous grin. He grinned stupidly and then grabbed Brad's arm, yanking him forward. "Come on, Brad! You can sit next to me again!"  
"Oh, goody," Brad mumbled in sarcasm, but Ray didn't seem to notice.  
"Come on!"  
  
"Leena! Oh, Leena!" Harry called as he walked down the hall, flowers in hand. "Leena!"  
"Harry?" Leena asked in bewilderment as she rose from her seat at the breakfast table and headed toward the door.  
"Harry?" Ray questioned, rising as well.  
"Oh, Leena, darling!" Harry exclaimed as he entered the room, swinging the door open with a grin, his eyes setting on Leena. "The King has arrived! I'm sorry to interrupt you during breakfast, but I just HAD to see you!" He then handed her the flowers. "These are for you."  
"Harry…" Leena groaned.  
"Harry Champ?" Ray then asked with curiosity.  
"Huh?" Harry turned to Ray. "Ray-Ray Skyler?!" His face was a mix of surprise and horror. "What-what are YOU doing here?!"  
"Wait a sec, you mean you guys KNOW each other?" Bit questioned. Ray nodded proudly.   
"The Champ family IS quite wealthy, after all. It's only NATURAL that we'd be friends," Ray explained. "Now, Harry, how've you been? What brings you here? I didn't know you were a friend of Brad's!" He gave Brad a slap on the back.  
"He's not," Brad said flatly.  
"Well, I didn't know YOU were a friend of Brad's!" Harry exclaimed with much disbelief. Brad went to say, "he's not," again, but Dr. Toros quickly cleared his throat and gave him a stern look. He then turned to Harry with a smile.  
"So, Harry, what brings you here?"  
"Well-I-" Harry stammered, still stunned as he stared at Ray. "I came to see Leena." He pointed toward Leena though his eyes remained focused on Ray.  
"Really?" Ray asked curious and Harry nodded. "Well, Leena's a very special girl."  
"Huh?" Harry asked, still very dazed. He then shook his head and quickly regained himself. "Yes! Yes, she is! Leena is the most wonderful-"  
"As much as I ENJOY the flattery," Leena interrupted, "could you please LEAVE, Harry? And take these with you!" She shoved the flowers into Harry's chest.  
"But, Leena! My darling!" Ray now chuckled, walking over to Leena, and swing his massive arm around her. Leena's face completely dropped as did Harry's.  
"Harry, Harry, Harry," Ray began, continuing to chuckle. "That's so cute! But a girl like Leena-she needs a REAL man."  
"Real-? You mean-you and Leena-you're-you're-" Harry stuttered in absolute horror.  
"No!" Leena exclaimed in protest, but Ray tightened his grip on her. Harry then grew angry.  
"Hey! Leena's MY girl! You can't have her!"  
"Excuse me?" Leena attempted to argue, but was denied by Ray who just smiled.  
"Poor little Harry. I THINK you're confused. She BELONGS to me."  
"BELONGS?!" Leena questioned, infuriated. "I don't BELONG to-"  
"Isn't that right, Brad?" Brad, who was busy stabbing his knife viciously into his food, obviously hadn't been paying attention.  
"Huh?" he looked up from his mutilated meal. Then, he quickly muttered, "Yeah, sure, whatever."  
"Brad!" Leena cried furiously.  
"Um, Brad?" Jamie began warily. "You really ought to STOP doing that to your food…"  
"I think he's pretending it's Ray…" Bit explained quietly to Jamie. Kylie smiled and let out a small giggle. Mike growled at her angrily and growled. Kylie's face quickly paled and she lowered her head. Yet, even with head bowed, she managed to lift her eyes high enough to gaze at Bit. Bit shifted awkwardly in his seat and whispered to Jamie, "I don't know, but Kylie's been looking at me funny all morning…"  
"Listen Ray," Harry continued on, not having noticed Bit and Jamie's conversation nor caring about it. "I know you're NEW around here, but Leena's-"  
"How's your sister, Harry?" Ray suddenly inquired, still tightly clinging onto Leena. Harry was taken back by the quick change in subject.  
"Huh? You mean Mary?" Harry questioned. Dawn groaned in disgust at the name.  
"At least we agree on something," Jamie muttered to her, but dawn just rolled her eyes.  
"Sure! Mary-great girl! She always holds the greatest dinner parties!" Ray declared.   
"Well-"  
"You mean, you know Mary, too?" Bit asked. Kylie laughed again, this time loudly, throwing her head back, and Bit's face grew very nervous and puzzled as did the others, except for Ray, who was, more often than not, in his own little world. Mikey quickly growled, however, and slammed his fist on the table, and her laughter ceased, though a small smile refused to leave her face. Ray then spoke up once more.  
"Of course I know MARY!" A deviously charming smile spread across his face.   
"Would you let go of me?!" Leena finally cried out, but Ray just grinned wider.  
"Don't be silly, Leena! Why would I do that?" Leena let out a loud, ear-piercing shriek. Dr. Toros cring and covered his ears.  
"Um, Ray, I don't suppose you could-"  
"Yes, Dr. Toros?" Ray interrupted. "Or can I call you Steve? I think Steve's more appropriate now that we're like FAMILY."  
"Yes, family…" Dr. Toros voice began to crack.  
"It figures as much," Brad mumbled, dropping his knife to the table, his food fully mutilated. "That the Champ family and the Skyler family would be friends. They're both sick enough."  
"Hey!" Harry protested. "I resent that!" He then crossed his arms. "Besides, we are NOT friends. We are merely social…ACQUAINTANCES. We mingle at parties, we see each other at the occasional banquet-":  
"Don't you miss BRAD now, Ray?" Leena questioned, trying to contain her fury as she attempted to pry his arm from her. "I'm SURE he misses you!" Brad's eyes darted fiercely toward her.  
"LEENA."  
"BRAD."  
"Not this again…" Jamie's voice trailed off with a sigh.  
"It's nothing personal, Leena, but-" Ray unwrapped his arm from her and headed toward Brad. "It's like I told Bitty yesterday: 'Girls come and go, but Brad-he's special. He's special." Brad clenched on to his knife again as Ray slapped him across the back, contemplating whether or not he should stab Ray or himself, but, of course, somehow managed to remain calm.  
"Yeah. Real special…" Leena muttered sarcastically.  
"Don't be so down, Leena," Ray then stated. "We'll have plenty of time TONIGHT to be ALONE." He then gave her an obnoxious wink.  
Both Leena and Harry's faces dropped in horror and they simultaneously let out a terrified wail of "WHAT?!?!?!?!"  
  
"The Skyler Family!" Mary exclaimed over the video phone to Harry. "That's simply wonderful, Harry!"  
"No, it's not, Mary. It's just not." Harry replied.  
"Well, what's wrong, Harry?"  
"They may SEEM normal at social gatherings, but when you get them alone, they all seem…off." His face then grew red with fury. "Besides, that Ray likes my Leena!!!"  
"Oh, well isn't that sweet! They make such an adorable little couple, don't you think?"  
"Mary!" Harry whined. "You're suppose to be on MY side!" Mary sighed and shook her head.  
"I already told you, Harry; that girl isn't right for you. Now you should just move on-"  
"But she is, Mary! She's the love of my life! The air I breath! The sky above me! The joy in my heart! My ever waking moment-"  
"A party!" Harry was taken aback.  
"Huh?"  
"We'll have a party! At your place. Nothing really fancy, of course. Just us, the Skylers, and the Blitz team. There will be some dancing, some snacks-"  
"But, Mary!"  
"I'll be over there as soon as I can. It's still early, after all. I should be there before sunset."  
"But, Mary!"  
"How about seven? Tonight? That's a perfect time to start our little social gathering!"  
"But, Mary!"  
"I'll see you then! Remember to tell the Skylers and the Blitz team. I haven't seen the Skylers in so long! It'll be nice to catch up on things."  
"But-"  
"Good-bye, Harry!" She then hung up. Harry frowned and let out a whine. Then he slumped on the couch and had no choice but to sigh in defeat.  
  
"Come on, Brad!" Ray exclaimed as he dragged Brad into the Champ Residence. Brad grimaced, but Ray beamed with much enthusiasm. The rest followed-the Skyler Team, the Blitz Team, even Dr. Toros-with little energy or interest. But, of course, none was more apathetic than Dawn, a twinge of disgust in her eye.  
Upon entering, they could see food displayed on the tables and hear classical music in the background. Harry sat sulking on the couch while Mary stood, perhaps more excited than Ray, smiling to greet her guests. Ray grinned as he saw Mary, finally releasing Brad's arm, much to Brad's relief. He then extended his arms out to Mary and walked to her.  
"MARY." Mary shook her head and smiled, opening her arms to him as well and heading toward him.  
"RAY."  
"MARY."  
"RAY."  
"MARY."  
"Ra-ah!" her last "Ray" broke into an ear piercing screech as Ray swung his arms around her, hugging her tightly. The sound of bones cracking could be heard as she gasped for air, her eyes bulging in pain. The Blitz team looked on in absolute horror.  
"Oh, my God! Mary!" Harry cried, bolting from the couch and catching her as Ray released her. Ray smiled, oblivious to the pain he had inflicted on Mary.  
"I'm…I'm fine…" Mary stated in a high, hoarse, weak voice. She attempted to smile, but instead winced in pain.  
"He-he BROKE her!" Bit exclaimed finally in utter horror and shock. Kylie giggled. "It's NOT funny!" Kylie giggled once more, but Mikey growled and she lowered her head, silent.  
"Did I ever tell you-Mary-that's a pretty name." Ray smiled charmingly as he spoke. Mary just nodded and let out another small gasp of pain.  
"Does he use that line on EVERYONE?" Leena questioned.  
"Apparently…" Jamie answered.  
"Dawny!" Ray suddenly exclaimed. "Why don't you dance with Jamie?"  
"Because I don't WANT to." Jamie groaned.  
"Sure you do!" ray insisted. Dawn sighed in disgust and reluctantly made her way to the small dance floor Mary had set up, Jamie following just as reluctant. "Leena," Ray then commanded, but Leena didn't budge.  
"Yeah?" she asked in agitation. Ray was surprised.  
"Well, dance with me, of course!" he exclaimed in a roar of laughter.  
"Hey!" Harry protested, disregarding Mary, who was becoming paler as the moments passed. "Leena's MY girl! She can only dance with me!" Ray's eyes suddenly twitched in anger as he took a step toward Harry. He towered AT LEAST a foot over him. Harry gulped in fear and shrunk back.  
"Are you challenging ME? Ray's eyes glimmered with a spark of insanity.  
"Chal-NO! Of COURSE not! Don't be silly! You-you can dance with her!"  
"Harry!" Leena exclaimed in disgust. Ray smiled pleasantly.  
"Now, that's a good boy, Harry!" He then proceeded to pat Harry hard on the head three times-harder then Harry could handle. Harry stumbled back and Dr. Toros caught him before he fell to the floor.  
"Harry, are you all right?" he asked in concern.  
"SURE…! I'm…FINE…!" Harry slurred, leaning on Dr. Toros, unable to stand on his own. Mary still stood, mouth opened in a frozen, silent scream, unable to move her body in the slightest. Ray, as usual, was oblivious, and grinned at Leena.  
"Leena?" Leena scoffed.  
"Can't you dance with Brad?" Brad's face turned bright red. Strangely enough, Ray took a moment to contemplate this idea before pulling Leena to dance.  
  
It had been an hour since the Champ's social gathering began. Things had actually gotten a little better for some of the guests. Mary's voice had returned, after all, as did some of the movement in her limbs; she could even walk around, though there was a great deal of pain that she tried to conceal in her eyes. Leena was also doing much better, Ray having turned his attention to Brad and Harry in rather unstable condition. The others, however, weren't as lucky. To begin with, both Jamie and Dawn suffered equally, being forced to dance by Ray for the last hour. Jamie, who used to be only full of self-pity and fear, was now just as annoyed as Dawn if not more so. Harry was nearly completely incapacitated. He sat sprawled out on a chair, unable to rise to his feet. Brad, of course, suffered with Ray's arm tightly secured around him and Dr. Toros tried to make logical conversation with the rambling Harry.  
Bit, however, was in the worst predicament out of all the guests at Mary's party. How it had happened, he was not sure, but Bit had managed to position himself on the couch right between Mikey Skyler and Kylie Atwater. What was worse was that Bit had begun to suspect that Kylie was flirting with him. She giggled at him, and then brushed her leg up against his for the umpteenth time and Bit nudged her away abruptly. Mikey didn't seem to notice; he just let out a low growl each time the couch gave a jolt when Bit kicked Kylie away. After awhile, in both his nervousness and boredom, Bit made the foolish attempt to try and start up a conversation with the two.  
"So…Dawn and Jamie make a great couple, don't they?" There was no audible response from either of them; Kylie did, however, look up at Bit with a strange, almost psychotic grin that Bit couldn't actually figure out. So he chuckled nervously and anxiously continued on, "Yeah…you know me and Leena were actually trying to get them together…funny how things work out like that, huh?" Kylie then began laughing as she flung herself around Bit's arm. Bit let out a frightened, "Eek!" before Mikey growled loudly and Kylie shot back to her side of the couch, head lowered and hands in her lap. Mikey glared at Kylie for a moment longer, suspicion in his eyes, and then slouched back in his seat in a huff.  
"Yeah, they're wonderful together," he muttered in a sarcastic tone.  
"Look, um, Mikey…why don't you sit next to…uh…Kylie? I'll go get us some drinks or-"  
"Why would I want to do that?" Mikey asked angrily. Bit gave him a baffled frown and hesitated in confusion.  
"Well, why WOULDN'T I…?" Mikey glared suspiciously once more and Bit grimaced.  
"Bit." Bit looked up immediately to see Dr. Toros before him. In desperation, he shot up from his seat as hastily as possible.  
"Yes, Doc? What is it? Do you need me to GO somewhere…?"  
"No, no. Nothing like that Bit," Dr. Toros replied, not seeming to hear the anxiety in Bit's voice. Bit groaned in self-pity. "It's just that-I think Harry may have a concussion."  
"Harry?" He glanced curiously over to Harry. Harry sat in a daze, each of his eyes wandering about the room in different directions, neither with a logical pattern of it's own. He sat their limp, his limbs lifelessly hanging from his body. His mouth opened and closed, but all that came out was slurred babble. "Yeah, Doc. He doesn't look too good."  
"His short term memory has been completely shot," Dr. Toros explained. "He can't even remember that Mary planned this social gathering for the Skylers and us. And I've told him about it at least a dozen times over the last hour. I think we ought to get him to a hospital."  
"Really?" Dr. Toros nodded. "And what about Mary?" The two glanced over at the pale, sickly looking girl, once bright, cheerful, and full of life, who had somehow managed to paste a weak smile upon her face. She stood erect, her body unmoving, like a statue, unless it was absolutely necessary to make a movement. Then she would move very slowly, almost robotically, each stiff movement causing her eyes to twitch slightly. Dr. Toros then turned to Bit.  
"I'm pretty sure she broke SOMETHING."  
"Yeah. I heard a cracking sound."  
"I must say, she hides it very well, though," Dr. Toros commented.  
"Well, that's Mary for you. She always has to be the perfect hostess."  
"Bit! Steve! Mikey! Kylie!" Ray came marching toward them at this, dragging the ever reluctant Brad along with him. "Are we all having fun?"  
"No," Brad was the first to answer and in quite an annoyed fashion, too. Ray just let out a roar of laughter that shook the room and smacked Brad across the back.  
"Oh, Brad! You kidder!" Brad groaned angrily.  
"Who said I was kidding?" he muttered, but Ray, as usual, didn't hear. Bit did, however, and frowned.  
"Actually, Ray, I have some bad news." Dr. Toros began. "I believe Harry has a concussion."  
"A concussion?!" Ray questioned, obviously baffled. "Now I wonder how on earth he got that!"  
"Yeah, I wonder…" Brad muttered sarcastically.  
"You, too, Brad?" Ray asked innocently, not detecting the sarcasm in his voice. Brad just sighed and laid his forehead in his hand.  
"Um…yes…well, anyway." Dr. Toros began nervously again. "I think it's very severe-"  
"Oh, nonsense! We can't have a little 'concussion' ruin the party!" Ray exclaimed. "He can take it! He's a man!"  
"Sort of…" Bit's voice trailed off and Kylie giggled, causing Bit's face to become very awkward.   
"But, RAY, it's a concussion," Dr. Toros tried to reason, almost in disbelief of what Ray had said.  
"Steve, Steve, Steve. When will you realize that I'm always right? Isn't that right, Brad?"  
"No," Brad quickly blurted out, but then hastily stated, "I mean, I'm bored now. Can we PLEASE go home?"  
"Bored? How could you be bored with ME?" Ray swung his arm around Brad once more, almost choking him. Brad looked near the breaking point, but didn't raise his voice.  
"Do I even have to answer that…?"  
"Look at Dawny and Jamie!" Ray then suddenly declared, his short attention span at it again. "Aren't they adorable together?"\  
"Yeah, except that Jamie kid's an idiot," Mikey muttered cruely.  
"Hey!" Bit went to protest, but Mikey darted him a sadistic look and Bit kept his mouth shut. Kylie grinned and she began to mouth something to Bit, but Bit quickly looked away, not wanting to know.  
"Yes. Yes, he is." Ray agreed with his brother, his stupidity and pride reflecting in his eyes. Leena then headed toward them.  
"Hey, Dad, do you know what's up with Harry? He keeps slurring my name and asking where we are."  
"Concussion." Bit answered for Dr. Toros.  
"Oh, well, that explains it," Leena stated casually. Then Ray replied, nodding his head, his eyes gazing out at the dance floor in a daze:  
"Yes. Yes it does."  
  
It wasn't for another hour until Brad had managed to convince Ray it was a good time to leave. The Blitz team was, of course, grateful for this, especially Jamie, who had been forced to dance with Dawn for two hours straight. Dawn was relieved as well, though her face remained callous and apathetic.  
"It was so nice for you all to come." Mary told them at the door, her voice slightly higher than usual. She then widened her grin. Her eyes twitched and a small squeal came from the back of her throat, but she managed to keep the strained smile upon her face.  
"You're sure you're feeling all right, Mary?" Bit asked in concern. A twinge of jealousy suddenly twitched in Kylie's eye, but it went unnoticed, except to Bit who cringed in response.  
"Oh, oh…I'm FINE….just fine," she blatantly lied.  
"Of course she is!" Ray exclaimed and gave her a hard, almost fatal slap across the back. Mary let out a shrill gasp and took hold of the wall to keep herself for falling. She leaned on it for dear life. "On behalf of the Skyler team, I'd just like to thank you Mary-"  
"GO," she suddenly blurted out in a high, raspy voice. "JUST GO." Ray frowned and then shrugged.  
"Well, if you insist." Mary began to genuinely smile, but suddenly Ray wrapped his arms about Mary. She had little time to think before he crushed her body for a second time as he hugged her blissfully and said "good-bye." Mary could no longer hold in her pain and she suddenly screamed, her high pitched wail echoing through the room for a few long moments. Ray, again, didn't seem to notice, and just kept hugging her, a stupid grin upon his face as he squeezed tighter. The Blitz team watched in utter horror throughout the whole frightening scene, unable to move, blink, or even breath, until the moment Ray released her, Mary falling to the ground with an echoing thud, completely unconscious 


	4. Kylie Snaps

Well...er...I guess that title sums it all up! Kylie...er...snaps...fun for the whole family! Actually, not really...Anyways, it's chapter 4! Yay! There's only three more chapters after this: five, six, and seven. They're titled as follows: Chapter 5-Naomi Fluegel vs. Ray Skyler (not in Zoids, though...can't really write Zoid battles...besides, it's not as sadistic if they're fighting in Zoids rather than...er...well, can't give anything away, so...), Chapter 6-Confessions of Love (weird and frightening chapter), and Chapter 7-Ray's Finale (must not give anything away). But almost done! Yay! I already started chapter five... As for the Champs, well, they'll be fine...and they'll be back, too! It'll only be briefly, though...but even if it's brief, it's well worth it! Anyway, this chapter is...er...interesting...I like it, anyway! There's some character...er...well, I GUESS you'd call it development with Kylie and Dawn...Jamie and Bit, too...and there's a part with Dr. Toros that I like...just remeber not to read into this too seriously! I mean, if you honestly think about it, it's actually all very frightening, but it you read it as if it's just some ludicrous story with some really twisted black humor, then it's funny! So read and enjoy as we read how Kylie snaps...mwuhahaha!   
  
"I can't believe that we had to call an ambulance," Jamie began.  
"Neither can I," Leena answered back.   
"At least both Harry and Mary are out of critical condition though, right? Even if they ARE still stuck at the hospital…"  
"I guess that's an optimistic way of looking at it, Jamie." The two walked alongside each other as they headed to the hanger. They were the last in the line, except for Bit, who warily trailed a few yards behind them. Ray was far in front, Brad forced to be by his side. next came Dr. Toros who seemed very worried, and right behind him was Mikey, who held Kylie's wrist tightly and possessively. A few feet after them was Dawn, who, of course, walked alone. Jamie and Leena were behind her, obviously, but made sure that she wasn't close enough to be in hearing distance.  
"I still can't believe it, though," Leena now said, shaking her head. "Ray broke her-Ray broke BOTH of them." Jamie frowned.  
"Well…he didn't MEAN it exactly."  
"You didn't see Ray with the glasses this morning."  
"Huh?"  
"Never mind…what about the others, then?"  
"What about them?"  
"Well, Ray may or may not have MEANT it, but Mikey-I'm sure HE'S got some violent intentions."  
"Yeah, obviously. But the others-"  
"Come on, Jamie! You can't be serious. Sure, Kylie's a nice girl, but…wacko! And Dawn-"  
"Dawn's ALL RIGHT." Leena was surprised.   
"You're kidding, right?" Jamie said nothing. "RIGHT?!" Jamie shrugged.  
"I think I'm starting to understand her now." Leena looked at him in disbelief and Jamie chose to explain further. "I mean, well, think about it. She's been stuck with Ray and Mikey her whole life. And she's been forced to go along with Ray's stupid whims and listen to Mikey's ridiculous sexist attitude her whole life, too. I'd start hating the world, too, after awhile…I mean, tonight, when we were dancing because Ray made us, I was getting annoyed; I felt what she feels everyday of her life."  
"Pissed off?"  
"Yeah! But it doesn't mean I like her or anything. It doesn't mean I want to be her friend, either. It means…it means we have an understanding, that's all." Leena took a moment to process this all.  
"I GUESS that makes sense…" Leena then looked over her shoulder. "Hey. Do you know what's up with Bit?"  
"Hm?" Jamie looked behind him to see Bit plodding along, head lowered, face filled with anxiety. He was murmuring nonsensically to himself and both Jamie and Leena cringed. "I don't know…he sure does look distraught, though…"  
"That he does."  
"He mentioned something about Kylie this morning at breakfast…"  
"He did?" They both halted and studied Bit as he walked toward them. He stopped as well when he reached them, standing between them, and started to whimper. Leena and Jamie frowned at each other. Then, Leena placed a hand on Bit's shoulder. "Bit? Is everything…all right?" There were a few more seconds of whimpering until Bit burst.  
"No! Everything is NOT all right!" Both Jamie and Leena were taken aback by this.  
"Well, what's wrong, Bit?" Jamie inquired.  
"EVERYTHING!"  
"Could you be a BIT more specific?" Leena questioned. Bit hesitated.  
"It's…it's Kylie!" Jamie and Leena were stunned.  
"KYLIE?!" they simultaneously cried.  
"YES! KYLIE!" After a moment, Leena laughed.  
"Kylie? What could Kylie possibly-"  
"She has a crush on me!" Leena's face cringed as she let out a disgusted groan of "Eew."  
"Are you SURE?" Jamie asked. Bit nodded.  
"VERY sure. She was-" He then stopped, hastily looked around, and then changed his voice to a whisper. "She was FLIRTING with me!"  
"Now way!" Leena exclaimed in shock.  
"Well, she WAS acting weird today…" Jamie rationalized, but then shook his head. "But she'd never betray Mikey. Well, if she valued her own life, anyway. Maybe you're just imagining things."  
"But I'm NOT! I wish I was, but I'm really-"  
"Jeez, Bit, even if she DID like you, Kylie's not the type of girl who would FLIRT with a guy," Leena stated scoldingly, crossing her arms and shaking her head. "She's much too shy for that."  
"But-" Bit tried to dispute.  
"Leena has a point, Bit, now that I think about it," Jamie interrupted.  
"What about that cackling of hers, hm?" Bit questioned. "That's not very Kylie-like, now is it?"  
"That's a good point, too…"  
"Jeez, Bit!" Leena exclaimed, turning and starting to walk away. "Just let it go!" Jamie began to follow after Leena.  
"But-I WANT to let it go!" Bit cried in desperation. "I never wanted to have it in the first place!  
Leena jus sighed in disgust, shaking her head once more as she walked. "But-it's true! Guys! Guys, I need your help! Come back!" Jamie turned to him then with a frown.  
"Look, Bit, I'm sure you're making too much of this. Just forget about it, all right?"  
"But-" Leena and Jamie were off again and Bit stopped speaking, realizing it was futile, and just slouched into a sulk. "Guys…" he whined to himself. When Bit was out of hearing distance, Jamie whispered up to Leena.  
"Do you think it could be true? That Kylie really-"  
"Probably." Leena said with a casual shrug. "But it's not OUR problem. After all, we want to live to see another day; Bit, on the other hand, is expendable."  
"Expendable?" Jamie questioned. "But, Leena-"  
"Do YOU want to get involved?" Jamie bowed his head in silence. Leena smiled in satisfaction. "I thought so. No-Bit will simply have to sort this problem of his out on his own…with Kylie…and Mikey."  
  
Brad and Dr. Toros sat opposite each other in the living room, each staring the other in the eyes at full intensity. The two had no knowledge of where the others were, except for Ray, who had gone to the bathroom for the moment. Both on edge and leaning forward, the two began to exchange conversation, in low, abrupt voice; Dr. Toros started first.  
"Any ideas?"  
"No. Not yet."  
"When do you think he'll be…" Brad's eyes shifted to the door as Dr. Toros's voice trailed off. Then he glared back at Dr. Toros.  
"We have time."  
"How MUCH time?"  
"A couple minutes. Maybe more. Maybe less."  
"Damn…no ideas?"  
"Nope." Dr. Toros then began to raise his voice.  
"There's got to be SOME way we can-"  
"Sh!" Brad demanded and the two were quiet for a moment, listening anxiously. After a few moments of silence, Brad finally decided that it was safe and said, "continue." Having lowered his voice to a low whisper, Dr. Toros began again.  
"There's got to be SOME way we can get rid of them."  
"I'm working on it."  
"And Ray?"  
"Still oblivious." Dr. Toros sighed.  
"I don't understand how this can be so difficult when they're all so…"  
"Stupid?"  
"Exactly!" Brad shrugged.  
"Not sure…you've got any ideas?"  
"No. You?"  
"Already told you: no."  
"Nothing?"  
"Nada."  
"Damn."  
"Tell me about it."  
"But…you're working on it."  
"Yeah, I'm working on it."  
"BRAD!" Brad winced as Ray burst through the door, grinning wildly and placing his hands on his hips. "Well, that felt good!" Dr. Toros's face paled in disgust.  
"RAY," Brad sharply began through tightly clenched teeth. "BACK? So soon?" Ray laughed.  
"Yes. Yes, I am." He bounced on the couch, right beside Brad, and swung his arm around Brad, nearly choking Brad.  
"But…don't you think you might have to GO again?" Brad interrogated desperately. Ray thought for a moment, lifting his head high and placing a hand to his chin.  
"No. No, I don't think so…"  
"SURE you do," Brad insisted. Ray chuckled.  
"If I didn't know any better, I would think you were trying to get rid of me!" Ray then burst into a hysterical fit of laughter, smacking Brad hard across the back. Brad groaned. Dr. Toros grimaced.  
"On second thought," Brad decided, rising as Ray's laughter slowly died out. "I think I have to go to the bathroom." Dr. Toros quickly panicked.  
"Don't be silly, Brad!" he exclaimed as he took to his feet. "You don't have to GO! NOW!" He anxiously eyed Ray and then looked pleadingly back at Brad.  
"I'll go with you!" Ray insisted, grabbing at Brad's arm. Luckily, Brad jumped back in the nick of time, leaving his arm free of Ray's painful grip.  
"NO!" Brad exclaimed in horror. Ray stared up at him from the couch in puzzlement. Brad chuckled nervously, trying to calm his voice. "No. You just stay here and…uh…talk to Doc."  
"But, BRAD," Dr. Toros began, trying to keep his temper and control his fear. "What could me and Ray possibly talk about?"  
"Well, I'm sure you'll think of SOMETHING." And then Brad fled. Dr. Toros whimpered and warily returned to his seat, eyeing Ray in complete anxiety. Ray just grinned stupidly from the seat opposite him.  
"So, Steve, how's it going?" he asked, slapping his knee with his hand.  
"Oh, fine…Ray…" Dr. Toros answered nervously, his eyes wandering about the room.   
"You know, I was thinking," Ray began. Dr. Toros's very startled eyes focused on Ray.   
"Oh, really?" he asked in a cracking voice. he was jumpy, his left leg shaking anxiously.  
"I was thinking: maybe I shouldn't call you Steve anymore." A glimmer of hope sparkled in Dr. Toros's eyes.   
"Really? You-you mean it?" Ray nodded and gave him an excited grin.  
"I think I ought to call you Dad!" Dr. Toros's face dropped in a grotesque twist of utter horror and shock.  
"D-DAD?!"  
"Sure! We are like family, after all, like I said before! It's only appropriate that I call you father!" A drop of sweat dripped down the forehead of Dr. Toros.  
"That's…uh…that's really great, Ray, but-"  
"Call me son, Dad!" Ray exclaimed as he jumped from the couch and swung his arms around Dr. Toros, lifting him from his seat.  
"SON?!?!" Dr. Toros cried in a shrill voice, in both pain from Ray's tight grip crushing his body and fear of the frightening, nightmarish vision of Ray ever being his son. Ray, however, didn't notice the terror in Dr. Toros's voice. Instead, he just laughed loudly and joyously, and continued to cling on to Dr. Toros.  
"That' the spirit, father!" Ray closed his eyes, smiling dreamingly as he hugged his new "father." Dr. Toros sobbed.  
  
Jamie halted when he entered the kitchen, seeing Dawn sitting at the counter, apathetically munching on potato chips in the darkness. Jamie chose to stand in the doorway.  
"Dawn," he greeted her in a cautious voice. Dawn looked up, obviously not amused, and greeted him with a roll of her eyes, not bothering to even speak to him. Then she returned her eyes back to the potato chips. Jamie sighed then and made his way to the counter, taking a seat beside Dawn. There, the two munched quietly for the next few minutes, until Dawn chose to speak in a cold, flat voice.  
"I'm not the enemy."  
"Huh?" Jamie glanced at her. "What do you mean?"  
"Exactly what I said; I'm not the enemy." Jamie blinked in bewilderment.  
"So that means you're…"  
"No," Dawn interrupted sharply. "Do not interpret this gesture as friendship. I am strictly and ally."  
"Ally?" Dawn gave a nod.  
"An important ally," she started to remind him, her voice still unemotional. "I've studied the REAL enemy for the last fourteen years of my life; I know them well.  
"You mean-"  
"Yes."  
"But-that means you're on our side, right?"  
"Technically," she remarked objectively. "It's all really business, though."  
"Business?"  
"I don't hate you, Jamie. I don't really like you much either, but that's beside the point. The point is, I understand your torment-the same torment that I undergo-and, therefore, we have an understanding."  
"Understanding…?" Jamie's voice trailed off as he recalled what he had told Leena earlier that evening. "Hey that's what I said-"  
"It ends tomorrow," she cut him off coldly, rising from her seat and pushing away from the counter. Then she started to leave.  
"Ends?" Jamie was very confused. Suddenly, Dawn cracked a smirk before she exited the kitchen.   
"No. Not the end. The BEGINNING."  
  
Bit stood outside in the desert, a dozen yards or so away from the hanger, standing up at the night sky. No one would believe him and no on would help him, so he opted for solitude, all alone without Kylie to bother him or Mikey to kill him. He sighed and raised his head to gaze up at the stars. It's so peaceful, he thought, things haven't been this peaceful since before THEY arrived…  
Suddenly, there were footsteps. Bit snapped his head straight and his eyes widened in fear. Who could those footsteps belong to? A thief? A murderer? A monster even-no, what Bit feared was far more frightening than any of the three or even a combination of all of them. No, Bit knew what was approaching and he feared it more than anything in the world; it must be one of the Skylers.  
Then, the footsteps stopped and he bravely turned about to see Kylie Atwater a yard away, head lowered and hands politely clasped. Bit gulped. Though she appeared innocent, Bit knew better. He stumbled back a step and felt his breathing becoming harsh and coarse.  
"K-Kylie!" he stuttered. Kylie, however, remained eerily somber, head lowered, and shadows covering her eyes. Bit hesitated, not knowing what his next move should be; he was sure Kylie had some sort of diabolical plan up her sleeve. Out of the little choices he had, Bit somehow managed to choose the stupidest one: he chose to try to reason with her. "Listen…Kylie…I really think you're a sweet girl, but-" Bit cut himself off in fear as Kylie's head snapped up, her mouth twisted into a psychotic grin and her eyes gleaming, locked in a vision of an insane dream. "Now, Kylie…" Bit's shaky voice trailed off as Kylie slowly walked toward him, arms extended forward. Bit felt himself on the verge of screaming in terror, but he remained as calm as he could, though his voice had begun to crack. "Kylie! Please!  
He let out a blunt shriek as Kylie clung onto him, gripping onto his shirt and still smiling.  
"I love you, Bit Cloud!" she cried. They were the first words that Bit had ever heard her speak. Moreover, they were the most frightening words Bit had ever heard in his life.   
"WHAT?!" Bit shouted in horror. "But-you hardly even know me!"  
"But I DO, Bit!"  
"No, you don't! You only met me yesterday!"  
"That doesn't matter! Time has no power over my heart! It's love, Bit; can't you see? As soon as I saw you-"  
"Are you crazy?!" Bit cried and tried to get away from Kylie, but Kylie's grip on him just tightened.  
"I'm not, Bit! I just see you as…my knight in shining armor! My only true love! We can get married-"  
"MARRIED?!"  
"Yes, Bit! MARRIED!"  
"But-what about Mikey?! I thought you were-"  
"That's why I NEED you, Bit! To be my knight! My hero! To rescue me from Michael Skyler!" Bit hadn't thought it was possible, but he was suddenly more frightened than before and he tried to release himself from Kylie's grip.  
"RESCUE YOU?!" Bit questioned. "You ARE crazy!"  
"But I'm not!"  
"Yes, you are! I can't…Listen. You're a nice girl, Kylie, but I'm not willing to die for you!"  
"But…you love me!"  
"No, I don't!"  
"Yes, you do!" Her eyes were almost on the verge of rage now. "Don't deny this passion that-" Bit then fell to the sand in his struggle to free himself from Kylie and Kylie now stood over him in an insane determination as well as the beginnings of a mad frustration. Bit whimpered as Kylie began to speak again in a low psychotic voice. "Don't deny this passion that burns deep within me-deep within both of us."  
"But, Kylie, I don't feel any-"  
"GRRR!" Bit froze, open-mouthed as the same "gr" as Mikey's shockingly escaped Kylie's lips. It didn't seem possible, unfathomable in Bit's mind, but there was Kylie, standing above him, just as disturbed as Mikey and then some; she was truly part of the Skyler family.  
"Kylie!" a voice unexpectedly snapped from behind. Suddenly, the wicked demon child before Bit was transformed into the sweet, innocent, and pitiful girl that Bit was accustomed to. And that gave Bit all the more reason to be fearful. After all, who would believe that pathetic Kylie was really the devil in disguise?  
So Kylie turned, head bowed and hands clasped, to Mikey, the one who had beckoned her, now standing many yards away, but eyeing them nonetheless.  
"Kylie! Come!" he commanded. She nodded slightly and hastily walked to him. His glare then shifted to Bit, who cautiously was rising to his feet. "What are YOU doing here?"  
"I…uh…just looking at the stars," Bit lied weakly. Mikey's eyes narrowed.  
"I SEE. And Kylie?" This question was directed toward Bit.  
"Oh…um…er…I don't know," he stammered briefly and quickly glanced away. Mikey raised a suspicious eyebrow and let out a low growl. That growl lasted for a near minute and it was the most painful minute of Bit's life; he could feel Mikey's hard eyes stabbing deep and knowingly into his back even from so many yards away. But after that painstaking moment passed, Mikey turned his suspicious glare away, taking Kylie harshly by the wrist.  
"Kylie," he demanded, and Kylie bowed her head even further and obeyed. Bit could hear the two walk away and when he decided it was safe, he heaved a great sigh and turned around. At that exact moment, Kylie briefly glanced over her shoulder. At first, Bit thought he had imagined it, the glance being so quick that he would have missed it if he had blinked an eye. But he hadn't blinked, though he wished he had, and that brief second was now imprinted in his mind and, more importantly, in his nightmares for all eternity. For when Kylie turned her head toward him for that short moment, he had seen the face of a mad woman-of insanity-mouth twisted in a devious grin, eyes burning with a maniacal plan. Bit knew for certain then that it was official; Kylie had snapped. 


	5. Naomi Fluegel vs Ray Skyler

Finally! Chapter Five! Two more chapters after this! Sorry it took so long to get chapter five up. I've just been busy, that's all, with school and stuff. I do feel really bad though, because a few people e-mailed me a few weeks ago or so asking for more. I really am trying my best, though! Honestly! Anyway, I'll try to get chapter six up as soon as possible, considering there's a cliffhanger at the end of this chapter...I'm also contemplating whether or not I should write a sequel...I mean, there's only two chapters left, six and seven. Will Ray's Finale really be Ray's finale? Hm...so many tough decisions...I guess it will be up to all you guys! As for chapter five...er...well, lets just say it gets more and more twisted. And it may seem a bit more violent, the end of chapter five kind of marks the climax, after all (that's why I brought up the rating to PG-13; because it's a bit more violent...and there have been a couple curse words-not many, though-scattered about, but mainly I changed it to PG-13 because of the violence...though it's not THAT bad), but don't take any of it TOO seriously...at all. It's all suppose to be silly black humor, like Invader Zim-ish (for those who watch that sadistic show...it's really hilarious, in a dark, sort of twisted way!) Um...what else? Well, Naomi and Leon are back! Yay! So, all Naomi and Leon fans rejoice and be glad! As for all Harry Champ fans (and Mary fans, too), just be patient! They'll come back eventually! Anyway, er, things get...er...interesting...for both the Blitz team and the Skyler team as Naomi and Ray face off...sort of...well, you'll all see! Let the suffering commence! Hehe! No, as you've ALL been waiting for...Chapter Five: Naomi Fluegel vs. Ray Skyler:   
  
Bit woke early that morning; in truth, he had found it difficult to sleep after the horrors of the night before. Constantly, he tried to convince himself that what had happened was only a nightmare, but each time he would recall Kylie's Mikey-esque growl and her glare of insanity and he would realize that nothing so terrifying as the demonic vision of Kylie could be fathomed by a mortal mind. Maybe it was just a one time thing, Bit reasoned, though he frowned in doubt. Then, yawning and rubbing his eyes, Bit entered the kitchen.  
Much to his surprise, he saw Kylie standing over the counter, a look of deep determination spreading across her face. Bit remained frozen in the doorway, silence overcoming him, but stayed, fortunately, unnoticed by Kylie. However, the next event Bit was to see was as horrifying as it was shocking. Kylie wasn't just standing over the counter; she was standing over a mug of coffee, and from her pocket she pulled out a small flask labeled with a symbol of a skull and two cross-bones-a symbol of poison. And Bit watched in horror as Kylie opened the flask and allowed the poison to drip into the coffee. Then, quite calmly, she placed the empty flask back into her pocket, picked up the spoon beside the mug, and quietly mixed the poison up with the coffee, a slow smile spreading across her face. Bit stood stunned, unmoving and in absolute fear for the next couple of minutes. And he would have remained frozen for eternity, too, if it wasn't for Mikey who came marching down the hall and pushed through the doorway and, therefore, through Bit, snapping Bit out of his daze and nearly knocking him over in the process.  
"Kylie!" Mikey shouted as he entered, completely ignoring Bit's presence. Instead of looking up, as most do when called, Kylie lowered her head as she was trained to. He stepped beside her. "Coffee!" At the moment Kylie handed Mikey the mug of now tainted coffee, Bit had regained his balance, rubbing his now bruised shoulder and lifting his head. His eyes widened in horror as he saw Mikey raise the rim of the mug to his lips.  
"Mikey!" Bit exclaimed in urgent warning. Instantly, Mikey and Kylie shot him a psychotic and murderous glare. Unfortunately, Kylie stood behind Mikey and Mikey could not see the savagery in her eyes. And so, in absolute fear and desperation, Bit's eyes wandered from Mikey, mug frozen by his lips, and Kylie, confused on what he should exactly do. He could only choose one psycho to favor and leave the other to become his enemy. Yet the poison COULD kill Mikey-perhaps before Mikey got wind of the poison, the fact Bit knew about it, and the fact that Kylie was now "in love' with him. Besides, by the look in Kylie's eyes, Bit was certain she knew he knew about the poison now. Kylie would be after Bit if he spoke the truth AS WELL AS Mikey, for Kylie would have most likely no choice but to confess her feeling about Bit to him. After another moment, he made his final decision:  
"Well, uh,: he began, chuckling nervously and scratching the back of his head. "Enjoy your coffee!" Kylie clasped her hand together, her eyes widening, and her mouth forming into a wild grin as if Bit had just declared his love to her. Mikey glared suspiciously at Bit for another moment and Bit had sickening sensation that Mikey was on to him. But after that moment, Mikey chugged down the coffee in one gulp. Kylie watched anxiously as Bit stared fearfully at Mikey. Yet after a minute, both their faces seemed to drop in bafflement, Bit because Kylie's had. Mikey stood in the kitchen unscathed, wiping the remains of the coffee that lay on his lips with his arm. It was as if poison had no effect on Mikey Skyler.  
  
Brad dragged his feet down the hall, head lowered, knowing breakfast would be soon and miserable because of it. He had managed to avoid Ray since he had awaken, which had only be fifteen minutes, but he knew that as soon as breakfast had commenced, Ray would never leave his side until dusk. Brad still couldn't figure out HOW he knew that the Skylers were there that morning nor did he know he knew the day before either; he just knew. Making breakfast, he thought bitterly. Still, fifteen minutes of avoiding Ray was a great feat on Brad's part; it must have been his many years of practice.  
Brad sighed in despair as he stepped into the living room. He lifted his head then and his eyes widened in horror at the sight. There stood Dr. Toros talking with Leon Toros and Naomi Fluegel. He gasped and darted forward, taking Naomi by the arm.  
"What are you doing here?!" he whispered, fear and anxiety in his voice. Naomi appeared puzzled as did Dr. Toros and Leon.  
"Well, I invited her, Brad," Dr. Toros explained for her. "For breakfast." Brad, however, shook his head, not wanting to hear this.  
"But you don't understand-" Suddenly, the vision of glass smashing on the kitchen counter from the previous morning flashed in his mind and he quickly yanked on her arm, eyes stern. "You have to leave now!" However, Naomi refused to budge.  
"Why?" she questioned, looking up at Brad as if he was being absurd. "What's wrong?"  
"I-" He stopped and leaned toward her, whispering, "Ray says I can't see you anymore." Naomi burst into a fit of laughter and Brad frowned.  
"You're joking!" she exclaimed, eyes closed tightly with tears. It was when she opened her eyes to see Brad's solemn expression that her own face grew desperate. "PLEASE tell me you're joking." Brad winced. Leena entered the living room then with a yawn.   
"Good morning," she said and then spotted Naomi and Leon. "Oh, hi, Leon. Hi, Naomi." With a second thought, however, Leena grimaced and groaned, pity in her voice as she resumed speaking. "NAOMI…eek…don't you know that Ray's here?"  
"So?"  
"So…he doesn't like you very much."  
"That's what I've been trying to tell her!" Brad exclaimed. "If you value your life, Naomi, you have to leave." And Leena gave a nod of agreement.  
"Wait a second," Leon now spoke up. "I thought you said the Skyler were going to be gone by yesterday, Leena." Leena shrugged and flopped on the couch.  
"Yeah, it's funny how things can change so quickly," she remarked casually. "And so unexpectedly, too…" Leon frowned, Dr. Toros grimaced, and Brad groaned. Naomi, however, just seemed annoyed, folding her arms crossly and scowling.  
"That Ray Skyler," she spoke through fiercely gritted teeth. "Someone really ought to teach him a lesson. And that Mikey, too."  
"Now, Naomi, you don't want to do THAT…" Brad's voice trailed off warily as he put his arm around her and began to lead her toward the door. "What you REALLY want to do is go home, stay there awhile, and don't come back until the Skylers are long gone."  
"Yeah, Naomi," Leena agreed. "It would be a lot safer, anyway. Besides, you don't want to end up being smashed to the ground and shattered into a thousand tiny, broken, insignificant, pathetic, little pieces." She paused with a pensive frown. "Unless, of course, he does that to Brad instead…" At this a flash of fear flickered across Brad's face, eyes widening at the thought of his impending and inevitable doom, and a shrill sound escaped his throat that sounded much like a pitiful sob of a very desperate, very frightened man. Too anxious to reason anymore, Brad quickly seized Naomi by the shoulders and began to almost violently push her forward toward the door.  
"That's it!" Brad firmly declared. "You're leaving now!" However, when they reached the door, someone stepped in, blockading their path.  
"BRAD!" Brad let out a startled, horrified, very loud gasp and jumped back.  
"RAY!" he cried as his body began to tremble in fright at the stupidly grinning Ray who haughtily stood like a mountain by the door, hands firmly on his hips, head arrogantly cocked upward, and his body towering over all in the room, tall and abnormally strong. Brad's face cringed, his eyes wavering about for some sort of hope-some sort of escape-yet he could find none. He could not run, he could not hide, he could not expect his teammates or friends to care enough to risk their life for him; after all, he, understandably, would not do the same for them, especially against the likes of Ray Skyler. He contemplated, for a moment, dropping to his knees and begging for dear mercy, but, for some reason, he doubted that would work either. In truth, he knew the reality of it all-there was no escaping Ray Skyler.  
"Now, Brad, breakfast is ready!" Ray began, lowering his head. It was then he noticed Naomi and his eyes fixed on her ferociously, in a wild rage of jealousy. "What-what is SHE doing here?!" Ray stammered venomously, upper lift quivering with fury. Ray was fuming, a vindictive look burning in his eyes.  
"Yep, you're doomed," Leena commented so casually that it was almost callous and she gave Brad a heartless shrug. Brad shot her a look of daggers in response. Then, he turned back to Ray, only one option open to him; he would have to reason with the wrathful Ray.  
"She?" he asked innocently and then glanced to his left. "OH! NAOMI!" Quickly, he pushed her behind him, out of the view of Ray's envious eyes. "Now, Ray, let me explain-"   
"I thought I made myself very CLEAR yesterday," Ray spoke through clenched teeth as if trying to control his temper.  
"That-that you did, Ray," Brad stammered slightly and swallowed hard. "But, you see, Ray…well, it's actually kind of funny…" He suddenly began to chuckle nervously, slowly cracking under the fear of Ray who barricaded the door with his massive body. Unfortunately, Ray wasn't laughing. Helplessly and hopelessly, Brad's eyes wandered about the room, desperate for an answer. Then, his laughter abruptly ceased as an answer miraculously hit him and he wondered why he hadn't come up with it before. He smirked sinisterly. "Well, Doc was the one who invited her." Dr. Toros let out a shrill cry as his face twitched in horror. Everyone turned to Dr. Toros curiously, except Ray and Brad, Ray seething with anger and Brad grinning cruelly, strangely satisfied with himself.  
"Well, Ray…" Dr. Toros let out a couple of nervous chuckles and then quickly shot the smirking Brad a vicious glare as he thought murderously, You think this is funny, Brad? Just wait until I cut your pay in half!  
"That's it!" Naomi's voice suddenly broke in. "I've had enough! This is ridiculous!" She brushed by Brad, stepping in front of him in the process and glaring up at Ray with firm eyes. "Just who do you think you are, anyway? Dictating-" Brad hastily clamped his hand over her mouth and nervously glared up at Ray who's eyes were twitching with a murderous malice and breathing was heaving through his tightly clenched teeth. He tightened his giant fists until his knuckles were white, each muscle on his body flexing with violent intentions.  
"Now, Ray…" Brad's voice trailed off as he and Ray stared at each others eyes, Brad's frightened eyes looking up at Ray's fatal ones, the sound of Ray's harsh, violent breathing the only thing breaking the silence between the two. The, after a moment, Brad finished off weakly, "…don't you think breakfast is…uh…getting cold?" Ray's breathing cut off as his face grew pensive. It was so quiet that Brad thought he could hear the sound of his own blood creaking eerily in his ears. And, then:  
"Breakfast!" Ray cheered, mysteriously returning to his usual happy, insane self. Then he grabbed Brad by the arm and yanked him forward, Brad letting out a grunt of pain. "Come on, Brad!" Ray then exited, dragging Brad behind him. After another moment, Dr. Toros chose to leave, mumbling sadistic comments about Brad under his breath. All that was left was Naomi, Leena, and Leon.  
"Leena…I'm worried," Leon told her honestly.  
"So are the rest of us," Leena replied. "Actually, I think worried may be an understatement…"  
"Leena, I'm serious!" Leon exclaimed.  
"Yeah, well, what are you going to do, huh?" she asked rhetorically and then sighed. "Come on, Leon; breakfast is ready." The two went to leave, but as they passed Naomi, Leena put a sympathetic hand on her shoulder. "Naomi, God save your miserable soul from the fierce hands of Ray Skyler. Who knows? He really might strangle you." Leena shrugged coldly again and Leon frowned in pity for Naomi. Then, the two left Naomi alone. Angrily, Naomi crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes with a bloodthirsty glare of determination.  
"Yeah," she scoffed. "We'll see about that."  
Then, she headed into battle.  
  
  
The table was set, the soldiers were seated, and all was silent; the war was drawing near. It was hard to say who was on who's side at that breakfast table. It seemed that it was every man for himself. Dr. Toros had a scowl on his face, which was directed toward Brad, a plan of vengeance running through his mind while Brad, unaware of Dr. Toros's anger, looked like he was contemplating both suicide and homicide again. Across from him sat Leon, who appeared very puzzled and concerned, shifting awkwardly in his seat, deliberating whether he should break the silence or not. Next to him was Leena, who yawned and poked at her food, looking rather bored with the situation now.  
On the other side of the table sat Jamie who eyed Dawn with a curious perplexity while Dawn sat across from him, looking apathetic and annoyed as usual, though occasionally she would glance over at Jamie with a knowing smirk. Beside her sat Kylie, who had her head lowered to feign her innocence, yet under the shadow of her bangs laid devious, psychotic eyes. Continuously, she kept on trying to rub her leg against Bit's, and Bit, who sat across from her, would cringe in panic and kick her foot away, causing the table to jolt in the process. Yet nobody seemed to find this strange in the slightest-  
Except for Mikey. A low growl formed slowly on his lips, growing louder and louder as the breakfast progressed. He glared at Bit suspiciously, as if his eyes were digging into his soul, and Bit felt his stomach grow queasy with fear. He noticed Mikey's glare very well-it was hard NOT to notice it-and he feared what would happen if his eyes were to directly meet Mikey's.  
However, the main battle was between Ray Skyler and Naomi Fluegel. Their eyes were locked on each other, narrow and fierce, and they snarled at each other menacingly. A dark growl was building in Ray's throat as Naomi's lips hummed lowly, studying her opponent with careful eyes. Then, she picked up her fork and steadily tapped it against her dish, over and over. Ray cautiously glanced down and fixed his eyes attentively on the shiny fork that Naomi's fingers were wrapped about; only he seemed to fully understand what the mysterious rhythm meant. To the others, who were anxiously anticipating the upcoming battle (all but Brad, of course), Naomi's fork clanking against her dish sounded like the approaching drums of war.  
"So," Leon then chose to speak, shattering the silence. "Great job with breakfast, Dad." Naomi stopped tapping her fork, leaving it hanging in the air as the others glanced around at each other warily in the awkward silence. Though to Leon he had only spoken the first words, to the others it was as if he had fired the first shot of war. Then, the massacre commenced.  
"Actually…Jamie made the breakfast," Dr. Toros answered strangely. It seemed as if he was choosing his words very carefully-too carefully-and Leon frowned awkwardly because of it.  
"Well, good job, Jamie," he said finally.  
"Thanks," Jamie answered quickly and glanced at his meal. Another silence followed. Then:  
"Could someone PLEASE pass the salt?" Dawn asked with some annoyance, folding her arms. Bit glanced to see the salt was beside him. Immediately, he panicked.  
"Salt?! What do you want the salt for?!" he questioned with a cracking voice. Everyone gave him a peculiar stare, all except Dawn, who rolled her eyes and sighed in frustration.  
"BECAUSE," she answered condescendingly, extending her had. "I want to put salt on my eggs."  
"Well, uh…" He groaned in his own self-pity and slowly reached for it. Fearing the worst, he lifted it and stretched his hand over to Dawn's open, impatient one. However, before he reached her, another hand took hold of his. Bit let out a shrill gasp for it had been Kylie's. Fearfully, he raised his head to see her, her eyes and grin wide like an evil, possessed, and thoroughly psychotic doll form a horror film. Slowly, she wrapped her fingers about the salt shaker as to hold on to Bit's hand as long as possible. However, she took too long-the already suspicious Mikey's suspicions were confirmed and his eyes flared up in rage. Bit let out an abrupt shriek upon noticing this and yanked his hand from the shaker. Kylie, on the other hand, continued to smile in her own, ignorant, blissful, and sublime insanity as she handed the salt shaker to Dawn, though her eyes never left Bit. Dawn glared down at the shaker and scoffed as if it were something repulsive.  
"Whatever," she muttered, obviously aggravated by both Bit and Kylie. Bit grimaced and looked down, somewhat embarrassed. Dawn used the salt quickly, then, simply rolled her eyes once more, and placed the salt shaker back where it had been; in between Kylie and Bit. There was a silent moment then, Kylie dreamily staring at Bit and Mikey staring at Kylie with wide eyes of wrath. Then, Mikey slammed his fist fiercely on the table, causing everyone to jump in alarm. Kylie hastily lowered her head, her dreamy expression fleeing from her face. Mikey growled lowly, studying her suspiciously, and then, with a barbaric grunt, seized the salt and savagely poured it on his breakfast. Then, he slammed the shaker down in front of him. Everyone looked very worried, even the usually oblivious Ray, and if Ray was frightened of Mikey, the rest knew there was trouble. Ray chuckled nervously and put his arm around his brother.   
"Now, that's my Mikey!" Mikey let out a beastly bark and pulled away viciously. It would seem that Mikey had been thrown over the edge and brought back to his animal state, though a cunning look was flickering in his eyes as if a devious plan was slowly forming in his mind. It were as if he were half man, half beast=the devil himself. And Bit feared-did he ever fear-for he knew his worst nightmare had come into reality; Mikey KNEW.  
Meanwhile, Naomi chose to reach for the salt shaker. Ray, who seemed to be consumed by concern for his younger brother, suddenly snapped his head with a violent glare and shot his hand out to make a snatch for the shaker. Unfortunately, he was not quick enough-nor was she. Each clasped onto the shaker at the exact same moment. They narrowed their eyes and began to yank violently at the salt shake "Excuse me," Naomi began through clenched teeth. "But, ladies first, after all." Ray just gripped tighter.   
"I'm sorry," he began with a sneer. "But I don't see a lady here." His sneer widened and Naomi scowled.  
"Let go!" she commanded fiercely.  
"Not until you let go!" The rest seated at the table shrank back in their seat at the sound of Ray's booming voice. Naomi narrowed her eyes.  
"I was going for it first!"  
"Well…Brad wants the salt!" Brad now looked up from his plate.  
"Actually, I don't really-" Brad was cut off, however, by his own cry of pain as Ray's free hand wrapped around Brad's arm, crushing violently, and then jerked him forward so that Brad's stomach slammed painfully into the edge of the table. Cringes spread across the faces of those sitting at the table and Brad managed to let out in a hoarse voice, "Salt would be nice." Ray smiled satisfied and turned back to Naomi.  
"See?" Naomi simply grimaced, still refusing to let go. Brad, his arm being squeezed more and more as each moment passed, gritted his teeth and gave Naomi a stern glare. Then, he whispered to her across the table.  
"Okay, Naomi, I respect the fact that you don't value your life-I understand that now. But if you have any common decency in you, you'd at least ATTEMPT to value mine!" Naomi tightened her fingers a bit as her eyes locked onto Brad's. Then, after a long moment of contemplation, Naomi scoffed and released the salt shaker. Brad let out a great sigh of relief as Ray let go of his arm as the rest of the table relaxed a bit in their seats. The tension had been released-slightly.  
"It just disgust me," Naomi suddenly muttered to Bit, causing him to jump a bit.  
"Disgust?!" he whispered frantically. "What disgusts you?!"  
"THEM," she flatly stated in a voice to quiet for anyone but the two people beside her, Bit and Leena, to hear. She crossly eyed Ray and Mikey form across the table as Ray glared suspiciously at Naomi with the corner of his eye and Mikey shot a look of daggers at Kylie. "The way they treat people. As if they're just objects. Like, look at poor Kylie-"  
"Oh, I wouldn't worry about KYLIE!" Bit interrupted quietly, chuckling in a strange short of panic. "She-she can handle herself JUST FINE." Naomi gazed up at Bit in quizzical perplexity.  
"Are you feeling all right, Bit…?" she questioned. Leena then began to snicker, and she leaned forward to Naomi and whispered an explanation"  
"Bit has some romantic DELUSION about him and Kylie or something, that's all."  
"Oh," Naomi replied, blinking. "What kind of delusion?"  
"He thinks Kylie's in LOVE with him." After a pause, both girls burst into a fit of laughter. Bit scowled frustrated.  
"It's true!" he exclaimed loudly. Naomi and Leena's laughter ceased as everyone turned to Bit curiously. Bit felt himself turn red in embarrassment.  
"What's true?" Leon asked innocently. There was a silence then as Bit frowned, not sure how to answer. The table creaked awkwardly under him.  
"Well…uh…" Bit frowned again and once more there was silence. Naomi rolled her eyes then and sat up straight to speak.  
"So, Kylie-"  
"Don't talk to her!" Bit cried and all eyes were set on him once again.  
"Why not?" Naomi questioned, slightly aggravated.  
"Because…uh…" He smiled suddenly, an answer coming to him unexpectedly. "Because she's Mikey's girl!" Ray beamed then and put his arm around Mikey's shoulders.  
"Well, isn't that sweet!" he exclaimed. Mikey, however, wasn't impressed and glared at Bit vindictive suspicion in his eyes. And all Bit could do was smile uneasily and avert his eyes.   
"Sweet? Yeah, right." Naomi remarked bitterly. Ray scowled angrily then with a fierce growl. He released Mikey and swung his arm around Brad's neck, nearly choking him. Brad winced in pain.  
"YES! SWEET!" Ray shouted ferociously, spit flying from his violently clenched teeth. "Unlike YOU, us Skylers have a sense of LOYALTY! Isn't that right, Brad?"  
"Please don't get me involved in this…" Brad weakly answered, Ray's arm cutting off much of Brad's air supply.  
"LOYALTY?!" Naomi interrogated, rising to her feet. "You call THAT LOYALTY?! It's more like a possessive obsession!" Ray let out a sound too loud and vicious to be a growl; it sounded more like a roar from a wild beast. He then rose, face enraged, kicking over his chair in the process and dragging Brad up with him.  
"Why you little-" He then turned on Brad, throwing Brad back down to his seat. Brad was lucky that he and his chair didn't go flying into the wall with the force and anger Ray had used. "I told you, I didn't want you to see her again!"  
"And who are YOU to dictate his life for him?" Naomi questioned.  
"Shut up!" Ray snapped at her with a snarl. "You don't understand! Me and Brad-we're-we're like brothers! And then some! Isn't that right, Brad?"  
"I guess…" Brad answered, although he didn't sound all that enthusiastic.  
"But YOU wouldn't understand the strength and depth of our bond," Ray continued yelling at Naomi, virtually ignoring Brad's answer. "It's much too complex for a shallow tramp like you!"  
TRAMP?!" Naomi was fuming in rage as well. However, Ray didn't bother answering her.  
"That's it! Who invited her here?!" Ray now demanded from the rest of the table. His eyes then set savagely on Dr. Toros in recollection. "YOU!" he accused, pointing his massive finger at Dr. Toros. "FATHER." Dr. Toros yelped.  
"I…" Dr. Toros began in a high-pitched, cracking voice.   
"He calls you father?" Leena asked.  
"Now's not the time, Leena, dear," he muttered anxiously to his daughter and then turned back to Ray in fear.  
"I swear, Ray, I didn't know. If I had, I wouldn't have invited her. In fact, I'll tell her to leave right now!" Dr. Toros turned to Naomi hastily, desperate to please Ray for the sake of his own life. "Naomi, leave." Naomi was shocked.  
"WHAT? I'm not leaving!" she declared firmly. "And I'm not scared of HIM." Ray's eyes widened as Naomi fearlessly glared at him.  
"Now, Naomi," Dr. Toros began, hands trembling. " If Ray WANTS you to leave-"  
"NO," Ray said suddenly and unexpectedly. His wide eyes then narrowed as a dubious grin appeared on his face. His voice was oddly calm that it was almost frightening. "LET her stay." Slowly, he picked up his chair and sat down. Naomi eyed him with much suspicion, knowing he was up to SOMETHING, but then, she, too, took her seat. A long, awkward silence followed until Ray turned to Brad with an assuring whisper: "Don't worry, Brad; we're going to get rid of this…NAOMI FLUEGEL once and for all!"  
"We?" Brad questioned him uneasily, but nothing more was said on the matter.  
  
After breakfast, Jamie approached Dawn with a curious smirk.   
"So is THAT your beginning?"  
"Hm. Sarcasm. Not bad," she noted casually. "But no, it's not."  
"Well, you said today-"  
"Today's barely finished," she interrupted coldly. "If I can wait fourteen years, you can wait a few more hours." Jamie frowned, suddenly doubtful of what a young, petite girl could do against the likes of her brothers, Ray and Mikey Skyler, especially after seeing that morning's violent display. So, as she went to leave, Jamie asked:  
"Do you really have something up your sleeve?"   
"No," she answered slyly to a very puzzled Jamie. "Nothing at all."  
  
Naomi marched down the hall, fists clenched and face tense; she was infuriated. The Skylers had to be stopped-NOW-and she decided it would be best if she discussed it with Brad. And that was where she was heading; Brad's room.  
"Brad?" she called as she entered. There was no answer nor was there anyone there. She sighed. "I guess I'm just going to have to wait." Suddenly, she heard a noise from behind her. "Brad?" As she went to turn, something unexpectedly hit heard her hard in the back of the head, a loud cracking noise blaring in her ears. Everything around her turned white as a pain surged through her skull. As if in slow motion, Naomi spun about to see her attacker-Ray Skyler. He hovered over her, baseball bat in hand, face stern and malevolent as he stared down at her with unmerciful eyes. Naomi's eyes widened in horror at the sight of him, her mouth gaping open yet no words able to escape. She had been careless and the price she paid to Ray was victory; he had won. Slowly, she sunk to the floor and closed her eyes. Then everything went black for Naomi Fluegel. 


	6. Declarations of Love

Here we go! Chapter 6! Yay! Only one more chapter left after this (Chapter 7: Ray's Finale...hehe)! And then...I don't know...my sister wants me to write a sequel. Well, anyway, there are a few things I'd like to say to all my readers before they venture into Chapter 6. First off, I changed the title from "Confessions of Love" to "Declarations of Love" which is really trivial, but I thought I'd just let you all know. Second, I'd like to assure everyone that Brad will NOT be raped (as some people feared). I know this may be sort of a spoiler, but, well, I didn't want to scare any readers away from some good Skyler fun because the first part of the chapter seems to sort of being going that way (although some people may not read now because they like that sort of thing...oops! Oh, well!). However, there ARE reasons why rape could just not work in this story. First off, I don't write sex scenes! Nope, just don't feel comfortable doing it. I may write the before and after, but none of the graphic stuff in the middle. Second: remember this IS suppose to be a comedy! And I personally don't think rape is really a joking matter! It's like up there with harming children and stuff-it's just a point where I have to draw the line. If Brad were to be raped, well, it wouldn't be very funny anymore. It would make the whole story very serious and we wouldn't want that, now would we? Thirdly, and most importantly, the author has NO IDEA what Ray's sexuality is. I have no idea whether or not Ray is gay, bi, or straight nor do I know if his love of Brad is one of a brother, friend, or lover. I really wanted to leave it up to the reader's interpertation of what would be the funniest sexuality for Ray in their minds and I can't do that if Ray rapes Brad (although I guess if you look at it psychologically, you could argue that if Ray did rape Brad it wouldn't be out of any real sexual desire but out of a sense of control...but it you did that you would be taking it way too seriously when it's supposed to be a comedy!) So, thus, to keep Ray's ambiguous sexuality intact, Brad could not be raped. Okay, onto another topic...oh, yeah: why the Blitz team has not had a Zoid battle with the Skylers. Well, I said this before, but just to clarify, I really can't write Zoid battles all that well. Besides, do you really think it would be safe to trust someone like Mikey Skyler with a heavy piece of machinery? I don't think so! LOL! Also, this kind of gets a bit more violent with blood and stuff (nothing graphic or anything like that), just to warn you all. But that's why it's PG-13 now. Another note: Jamie's not in this chapter. But don't worry; he plays an important part in the last chapter! I just didn't want him to come in in this chapter because I'm saving him and his "revelation" (I'd guess you'd call it) for the last one...it's kind of hard to explain without giving anything away, so...well..yeah. I'd just thought I'd tell you all. Lastly, and most importantly, DON'T TAKE ANY OF THIS TOO SERIOUSLY! Really, it's no fun like that! It's supposed to be black humor not some serious drama or anything! Okay, I'm done ranting! Have fun reading Chapter 6! And remember, after this comes the final chapter: Ray's Finale! Aren't we all so excited?! Probably not, but you could all at least pretend to be! LOL! Anyway, here we go! The demented tale continues on...   
  
Brad grumbled miserably as he neared his room. What a horrible morning it had been. If only Naomi knew how to keep her mouth shut, Brad thought bitterly. It was true; Naomi definitely had made the situation worse between him and Ray. And Brad was still unclear on what Ray had meant earlier that morning when he said he planned to "get rid of" Naomi Fluegel-and that he seemed to be planning on dragging Brad into his ridiculous scheme.  
"Whatever," Brad muttered aloud, placing a hand to his forehead. He sensed another migraine coming on; he seemed to be getting a lot of them over the course of the last three days.   
And suddenly, then, Brad had a revelation: Ray was nowhere to be seen. In fact, Brad hadn't seen him for over a half an hour now; it must have been some sort of miracle. Brad beamed, feeling suddenly ecstatic, as if his sense of life had rushed back into his veins. Perhaps life WASN'T so bad. And with this pleasant thought, Brad entered his room, nearly skipping as he did so.  
How wrong Brad had been for there, on his bedroom floor, lay the unmoving Naomi Fluegel, eyes shut and blood trickling down her forehead. Brad gasped loudly and quickly rushed to her, kneeling by her side.  
"Naomi!" he called as he shook her shoulder. Then, a steady smacking noise came from behind him. Brad's eyes widened in a horrified realization as he slowly rose to his feet, knowing the worst was to come. Then, he said to himself: "Ray." His face filled with a worried expression as it took all the courage he had to turn around…  
And there was Ray Skyler, sitting on Brad's bed, head lowered as he hit a baseball bat over and over again into the palm of his hand. He seemed frighteningly calm, as if the blood that dripped from his bat was no big deal, his eyes a twist of tranquility and insanity. Then, he spoke in a low, coarse voice:  
"I had to, Brad," he explained. "I had to-for us." Brad hesitated for a moment, his body swaying back and forth as he deliberated his next move.  
"That's understandable…I guess…" Brad lied weakly as he chose to inch his way toward the door.  
"I knew YOU'D understand!" the deranged Ray exclaimed, lifting his head and rising with a great grin. He stepped toward Brad excitedly, heavy, blood-covered bat still in hand, and Brad winced and groaned as he noticed that Ray blocked the exit-Brad's only means of escape. "That's what Naomi Fluegel DIDN'T understand," Ray continued, advancing as Brad stepped back warily, eyes set fearfully on the baseball bat. "SHE didn't understand our bond, Brad-and THAT'S why we have to get rid of her-TOGETHER." Brad cringed as he backed into Naomi's unmoving body and he looked down at it with a frown. Then, he glanced back up at Ray, trying his best to smile, though he looked rather frightened and disgusted instead.  
"Together?" Brad managed to squeak out. "But Ray-"  
"No buts, Brad! I won't let myself have all the fun!"  
"Because bashing someone's skull in is SO much fun…" Brad muttered sarcastically, yet Ray heard it loud and clear.  
"It is, isn't it?" His grin widened, obviously not detecting Brad's sarcasm. Then, he dropped the bat and threw his arms around Brad joyously. "You DO understand! I knew you would! I knew you would!"  
"How about we call the police?" Brad suggested, voice strained as Ray's massive arms crushed Brad in their embrace. "I'm sure THEY'D understand." Ray let out a booming chuckle as he released Brad, though keeping both of his hands firmly on Brad's shoulders.  
"Now, Brad, you know we can't do that!" he explained as if the idea were preposterous. "Not until we're done, anyway; we wouldn't want to show the police a half finished product!"  
"No. No we wouldn't…" Brad mumbled miserably, realizing that Ray actually thought he was doing something noble. Brad sighed in exasperation, deciding the only thing he could do was attempt to rationalize with the delusional Ray. "Look, RAY, it was really…er…sweet of you…or something…to do this all for me-"  
"US," Ray corrected.  
"Yeah, us, whatever," Brad agreed hastily and continued on, "But it really isn't necessary-"  
"But it IS, Brad!" Ray cried as he took Brad by the arm and swung him against the wall. Brad closed his eyes and let out a cry of pain as he felt his back become severely bruised. Then the sound of Ray's two hands slamming firmly against the wall, one beside each of Brad's ears, boomed through out the room like a clap of thunder. Brad groaned and reluctantly opened his eyes.  
It was at that moment that Brad truly realized how big Ray really was. Even leaning forward with his flashy grin, he still towered a foot over Brad. He was a giant of a man, muscle covering every inch of his body, stomach and chest as hard as stone. His feet were large and stood sternly on the floor, like heavy anchors while his hands were twice the size of Brad's and were as strong as hammers. And Rays' arms were like iron prison bars, unbreakable and unmovable, caging Brad inbetween them.  
"Don't you see, Brad?" Ray asked now. "Don't you see? I love you, Brad Hunter!"  
"You WHAT?" Brad questioned in horror. However, as soon as his eyes fell past Ray onto the unmoving Naomi Fluegel, he quickly corrected himself, though the horror and fear refused to leave his face. "I mean…er…" He let out a nervous chuckle. "That's…uh…nice, Ray…I guess…" His voice was reluctant as he spoke and his eyes warily wandered up to the ceiling.  
"Yes. Yes, it is, Brad," Ray stated in his own oblivious bliss. "I've loved you since I met you, Brad. Ever since that first day of kindergarten, I loved you."  
"Don't you think LOVE is a strong word?" Brad inquired desperately, but Ray was too involved with his declaration of love to give Brad any heed.  
"And ever since then, I devoted my life to you and only you."  
"Sort of…" Brad mumbled, slightly annoyed, recalling Ray's selfishness rather than his generosity.   
"But, then-" Ray's face become infuriated now- "But then, SHE came. And I realized, she was going to ruin everything! Everything that WE worked for! How could I have her do that to you?"  
"I don't know, Ray," Brad answered flatly. "How could you?"  
"Well…I couldn't!" Ray answered frantically as if the image of Naomi destroying their "bond" had frightened him, any other answer eluding his miniscule mind. "And that's why-that's why I had to get rid of her Brad-for good. There was no other alternative."  
"Because we should ALWAYS kill the people we dislike," Brad replied sarcastically.  
"Exactly!" Ray exclaimed loudly and Brad almost jumped out of his skin at the sound of Ray's booming voice. "But now she's gone, Brad. You don't have to worry. I killed her."  
"Oh, I'm not worried, Ray," Brad stated. "Not worried of HER, anyway. YOU, on the other hand…" Ray, however, simply ignored Brad's comments as he often did.  
"And now that she's gone, we can be together-FOREVER." As the word "forever" escaped Ray's lips, Brad's face lit up in horror at the thought of an eternal and agonizing future with Ray Skyler and Ray suddenly wished that he was the one lying dead on the floor instead of Naomi Fluegel.  
  
Bit, in all honesty, was unsure how he had gotten outside that noon, so far from the hanger, alone and defenseless. He had somehow just wandered there into the desert, the bright sun beating down on the sand, and Bit supposed that it was his own forlorn fate that had lured him to that very spot that afternoon, the same spot where Kylie had confessed her twisted love to Bit just last evening. He wondered if he ought to simply wait there for his inevitable doom like the brave warrior from fables who stands steadfast, awaiting his destiny, no matter how bitter it may be.  
Immediately, it struck him how utterly stupid the idea was to just wait to die, no matter how courageous it was, when he could just easily run and hide, a coward, but alive and well nonetheless. It seemed far more clever an act, in Bit's opinion, than that of the resolute, brave, supposedly intelligent warrior. A sudden panic flung onto his face then and seized it as he fully comprehended how utterly alone and defenseless he indeed was and that he was too far to call for help if needed. Of course, Bit failed to realize that there was no point in running from a Skyler, whether it be Mikey or the newly initiated Kylie, for either one would eventually catch up to him and even if someone could hear him scream for help, none of his friends would bother to come to his aide. The only question remaining was which Skyler would catch him first.  
As he turned about, ready to flee back to the hanger as if it were some form of security, he learned his answer. There stood Kylie with a deranged grin on her face and a twitch right eye. Bit let out a shrill gasp and jumped back.  
"Kylie!" he cried in horror.  
"Yes, Bit; I've come," she began in a low, tremor of a voice. "For YOU." Bit gave a sound that resembled a pitiful whine.  
"But, Kylie-WHY?"  
"Because, Bit-" her voice became sweet and dreamy- "I LOVE you."  
"But you don't even KNOW me!" Bit protested.  
"But I DO know you! Even better than I did yesterday!" She threw her arms around Bit then and squeezed tightly as Bit desperately tried to pry her off of him, his eyes wavering around him in fear that he may spot Mikey coming-no. That Mikey may spot HIM.  
"Kylie! PLEASE!" Bit begged, but Kylie ignored him.  
"When you let Michael Skyler drink that poison this morning, I knew then-for sure-you were my knight in shining armor!"  
"But you were the one who poisoned him!"   
"But that's just it!"  
"It is?!" Bit's voice was cracking as Kylie continued talking nonsense.  
"You're silence-the silence you had as Mikey drunk up the poison-THAT was your declaration of love!"  
"But-I didn't say anything like that!" Bit objected her irrational arguments.  
"You didn't have to, Bit!" Kylie insisted. "Saying 'enjoy the coffee' was enough!"  
"What are you talking about?!"  
"Isn't it obvious?! You LOVE me!"  
"No, I don't! The only reason I let Mikey drink the poison was because I don't like him! IT-HAD-NOTHING-TO-DO-WITH-YOU!" he shouted his sentence in frustration emphasizing each word clearly as so Kylie would understand.  
Kylie's face went blank as she slowly pulled away from Bit, arms dropping to her side, limp lifeless. And Bit took a small, quiet step back as he listened to Kylie's breathing become labored and watched her head hang loosely from her neck, as if ready to roll off.  
"You don't…love me?" she questioned, her body beginning to shake as if she were having a seizure. Then she screamed a horrible, ear-piercing scream: "YOU DON'T LOVE ME?!" Bit cringed as she lunged for him, fingers curled and nails sharp, pointed directly at his flesh. Her face was a hideous mix of fury and insanity. Bit screamed in panic.  
And then Mikey came.  
He stood a few feet away, arms hanging loosely on his sides, thick butcher knife in hand. His face was tense and infuriated; he looked more insane than usual.  
"Mikey!" Bit cried out in horror. Kylie's anger left her and was replaced by a sudden fear as she turned to face the bloodthirsty Michael Skyler. She stared at him, eyes frozen and body trembling.  
"I should have known," he said in a low, frightening voice. Bit immediately stepped back cautiously, face wild with frenzy.  
"Now, Mikey, it's not want you think-" Bit was cut off, however, by Mikey's brutal, savage scream that sounded distinctly like the war-cry of an uncivilized man. He pounced on Kylie, knife raised above her and stabbed down on her as she screamed and wrapped her fingers tightly around his throat. Bit grimaced at the grotesque sight of Kylie's blood as he stood watching and hoped that the two would kill each other quickly, Mikey stabbing her to death and Kylie strangling the life out of him.  
However, Bit wasn't so lucky. For a few moments after Mikey attacked, the poison finally kicked in. He dropped the butcher knife on the sand and ripped himself fram Kylie, grabbing his chest in pain. He let out a choking noise before he fell to the ground and didn't move again. Kylie, on the other hand, lay on the ground, her wide eyes unblinking and her left shoulder bleeding from the two shallow stab wounds Mikey had given her. Then, suddenly, she sat up with a jolt. Bit whimpered and jumped back. She then seized the butcher knife and turned to him, eyes blazed with rage.  
Her face was that of a madwoman, full of passionate hate and wild insanity. She heaved herself off the ground and tightened her grip around the knife until her knuckles were white. Her teeth were bared and clenched, her breathing harsh and violent, and her eyes vengeful. They dug directly into Bit with a fatal animosity. Then, clutching the knife, she ran for him, ready to viciously slit his throat. Bit could think of nothing else to do but scream and close his eyes…  
A blast sounded. Bit opened his eyes to see an unconscious Kylie lying at his feet, a pool of blood forming under her limp body.   
Kylie Atwater had been shot.  
  
"I can't believe this guy's still alive," Bit overheard the EMT say as he rolled an unconscious Mikey Skyler into an ambulance car. "That poison should have killed him instantly." The other EMT just shrugged and closed the car doors.   
Meanwhile, the police officer who had shot Kylie had just finished her questioning of Bit. "Ms. Atwater should survive," she now informed him. "After her bullet wound and stab wounds are treated, she'll be taken to see psychiatric help."  
"Oh…" Bit replied, disappointed with the fact that Kylie would still be alive. "And Mikey?" The police officer sighed.  
"Psychiatric ward, too," she stated flatly and Bit frowned ever more disappointed that Mikey would be alive, too. "I'm just glad we got that phone call when we did. Otherwise…"  
"That's right; how did you know to come?" Bit then remembered to ask. The police officer got in her car with a sigh.  
"Some mysterious phone call from some mysterious girl," the police officer told him. "Didn't leave a name or number." She shrugged with a "hmm" and drove off with the other police and ambulance cars leaving Bit alone in the desert with only his own confusion to keep him company.  
  
Brad had to think-think of some logical way to rationalize with the deranged Ray Skyler who was twice his size and towered over him a good few feet. Yet Ray talked about love and forever and many other terrifying things that made Brad fear that no reasoning would be able to penetrate through Ray's thick, insane skull. Besides, Ray had him pinned up against the wall; there was no escape.  
"Together…forever…" Ray repeated, letting the words sink in for his own enjoyment and to Brad's own sickening fear. Ray's eyes flashed with excitement and he exclaimed, "Won't it be wonderful, Brad?" Brad just shook his head with a grimace.  
"No…no, it won't, Ray." Ray's face dropped for a moment, but was quickly restored with joy.  
"You're right, Brad; it'll be even BETTER than wonderful!" He then embraced Brad and Brad felt as if Ray were crushing every bone in his body. Ray then slammed brad back against the wall and Brad winced in unbelievable pain. "NOW," Ray started with a devious smile. "All we have to do is get rid of HER."  
"Her?" Brad inquired innocently, although he knew perfectly well who Ray was talking about.  
"Naomi Fluegel," Ray snarled and dug his fingers into Brad's shoulders, locking him against the wall. He leaned close to Brad, staring psychotically into Brad's frightened eyes. "For our love, I killed her. Now, for our love, YOU'LL get rid of the body."  
"Get rid of the body?" Brad's voice was cracking and he hastily swallowed and cleared his throat. "I mean, I don't think that's a good idea."  
"Of course it is, Brad," he said as if it were fact. Brad frowned.  
"Uh…not really." He went to look past Ray, but Ray wouldn't let Brad's eyes leave his.  
"Well, why not, Brad?" Ray questioned, his devious smile becoming insane. His voice was frighteningly calm and his eyes widened as he spoke.  
"Well…because it's not," Brad stated matter-of-factly. Ray looked as if he was ready to short-circuit.  
"But…you…MUST. Because…you…love…me," Ray insisted, separating each word as his face began to twitch. "You DO love me, don't you, Brad?"  
"Uh…" Brad's voice trailed off as his eyes wandered to the ceiling. Ray almost screamed out in rage then and Brad let out a cry of agony as he felt the pressure of Ray's hands begin to break his arms. Any sensibility left Brad and he found himself fill with panic. "Now, Ray-"  
"Why don't you say it?!" Ray questioned in fury. "Say it, Brad! SAY you love me!" Brad winced, pretty sure his left arm was breaking, and almost certain that the right one would be breaking soon, too. How could he stop the raving Ray Skyler from ripping him limb from limb? It seemed simple enough; all he had to do was say three words: "I love you."  
"I-" Brad began, but stopped himself, the words failing to escape his lips. He started again, "I…" but once more fell short. "I…uh…" He fell into a fit of nervous laughter then. "Well, why do I have to say it? I mean, you should already know-" Ray interrupted with a savage growl, however, and Brad quickly shut up. He tried once more: "I…" Yet the words refused to come out. It was simply too difficult for Brad to say those three dreadful words to the man he hated, loathed, and despised the most.  
"Brad…?" Ray asked, his anger subsiding into desperation. Brad winced. Then, after a long moment, Ray let out an agonizing, ear-piercing wail that caused Brad to cringe. Ray shook his head, although still firmly holding Brad against the wall, and sobbed, "It was her, it was her. That damn Naomi Fluegel."  
A baseball bat then cracked against the side of Ray's head and Ray slumped to the floor, blood flinging from his forehead. And there, bat in hand and towering over the fallen Ray Skyler, to Brad's utmost surprise, was Naomi Fluegel. Blood trickled down the side of her face from her temple, and her indignant eyes were set on Ray's body with much aversion. In disgust, she threw the bat to the floor with a scoff and narrowed her eyes.   
"Bastard."  
  
Brad and Naomi had gathered the others into Brad's room, specifically Leena, Leon, and Dr. Toros. They hadn't gotten Jamie, knowing that he would immediately call the police, and Bit, unfortunately, was nowhere to be found at the moment. In all actuality, none of them really wanted Leon there either, but he had been with Dr. Toros and Leena when Naomi and Brad came, and it took a lot of convincing to prevent Leon from calling the police himself. How all five stood around the body of Ray Skyler, afraid to move or even touch him in fear that he may spring back to life.  
"So…what do we do now?" Brad asked.  
"I say we dump the body in some ditch," Leena stated decisively, crossing her arms. "We'd be doing the world a lot of good."  
"We can't do that!" Leon protested, feeling the idea was ludicrous. "That's illegal!"  
"So's murder," Leenea nonchalantly remarked and glanced at Naomi. Naomi scoffed, still livid.  
"I say we dump it," she callously decided.  
"But-you can't be serious!" Leon continued to argue. "That would make the rest of us accomplices! Besides, I'm sure the police would understand that Naomi did it in self-defense UNLESS we decide to get rid of the body."  
"Maybe we can burn the body…" Dr. Toros thought pensively, placing a hand to his chin.  
"Dad!" Leon shouted in outrage.  
"Hey! That's not a bad idea, Dad!" Leena told her father.  
"Leena!" Leon scolded. She placed her hands on her hops.  
"Well, it's not!" Leon shook his head.  
"This is ridiculous!" he finally exclaimed. "We are calling the police and we're calling them now!"  
"NO," Naomi stopped Leon with the sound of her stern voice. "It's Brad's call." And no one, not even Leon, could protest. All eyes set on Brad and Brad crossed his arms and lowered his own eyes to the unmoving Ray Skyler as he began contemplating his options. An uneasy feeling swayed in his stomach and he wondered, could it really be that easy? Could Ray Skyler really be gone from his life with just a swing of a bat? Could it be that he was finally free from Ray Skyler? Yet as he stared down at Ray's body that lay flat on it's stomach, Brad suddenly feared that it would not last very long, that his freedom would be heartlessly ripped from him in a matter of moments. He wanted the body gone, out of his sight, never to be seen by his eyes again. Only then would Brad be certain that Ray would never come back to bother him again-only then could he be truly free. But to burn the body? A sickening feeling came over him as he imagined Ray's body in flames and his eyes suddenly shooting open with a wicked glare and his mouth curving into an evil grin; Ray Skyler would truly be the devil himself. So this idea was torn from his mind, the frightening image never to be thought of again. Now, he only had one option left…  
"We'll dump it."  
And that's what they did. They wrapped Ray's body up in a black plastic bag and threw him in the back of the Blitz team's truck. The five then drove for a long time; it was almost dark when Brad decided they were far enough away from the hanger to dump the body. So they heaved Ray's body out of the car and drove off. Strangely, none of them felt a sense of guilt for their dubious act or fear of being caught. Only Brad had a lurking doubt that Ray Skyler would come back to haunt him, that it was all just a dream and he'd wake up any second to see Ray Skyler beside him, alive and well. But as they drove farther and farther away from the body, even Brad's doubt left him as he began to laugh cheerfully with the others, the memory of Ray Skyler to be forgotten forever.  
Yet from the black bag rose a hand-a massive, tense hand with sharply curved fingers outstretched, white palm reaching toward the sky…  
Ray Skyler was still alive. 


	7. Ray's Finale

I can't believe it! It's finally over! It's actually kind of sad...there may or may not be a sequel; I haven't actually decided yet. You see, I'm scared that a second story with the Skylers may not be as good as the first...but, if I come up with something (and people actually want me to write a sequel), maybe I will. As for the shocking conclusion, it's actually quite shocking (LOL), although a lot of it's been foreshadowed in other chapters. I must say, this must be the scariest fic I've ever written in my entire life. Especially the end with Ray-if you thought he was scary before, wait until you read this! I think I've been reading too much of John Donne's later poetry (for any of those people have read John Donne, they may see the strange similarities between his Holy Sonnets and the really frightening speech that Ray gives...) Anyway, this is the end, Chapter 7, Ray's big finale! Oh, yeah, the small epilogue at the end is a special bonus treat! And if anyone is curious, the song that's playing in the background is called "I love you" and it's sung by Celine Dion. I guess that's all I have to say...just be prepared! It's all really disturbing! And I said it before, and I'll say it again! Don't take this too seriously! It's supposed to be FUNNY! Sure, Ray Skyler is a terrifying individual, but that's only for comedic purposes! So enjoy the black, sadistic humor of the Skylers as the story comes to its big finale! Here it is! The end of all ends! The conclusion of all conclusions! The FINALE of all finales: Chapter 7, "Ray's Finale" and an epilogue to boot! I hope you all enjoy!   
  
Since about noon, Jamie found himself alone in the hanger. Not a soul could be seen whether it be from the Blitz team, Fluegel team, or Skyler team. Now the sun had finished setting and still no one had returned from wherever they had gone. Jamie sighed, sitting in the living room and anxiously shaking his leg, impatiently waiting for someone to come back.  
  
At half past six, Bit entered the living room, slowly plodding in, a distraught look of puzzlement on his pale face. Jamie, in an anxious surprise, jumped to his feet.  
  
"Bit!" he exclaimed and then questioned in concern, "Where have you been?!"  
  
"In the desert…since noon…" Bit answered in a distant voice.  
  
"Since noon?!" Jamie was shocked. "But - but why?!"  
  
"Something very strange happened…" he explained, voice trailing off as he sat down on the couch. Jamie hastily sat beside him.  
  
'Well, what is it? What happened?" Jamie continued to interrogate. Bit continued to look out blankly into empty space. Jamie gave him a shake. "Will you snap out of it, Bit?!"  
  
"Huh?" Bit blinked a few times and shook his head, returning to his senses. "Oh, hey, Jamie. Sorry about that."  
  
"It's all right," Jamie quickly forgave him. "Now tell me what you were doing in the desert for the last six and a half hours."  
  
"Well, it's really confusing," Bit began, scratching the back of his head. "The first hour I experienced the most traumatizing experience of my life. The other five and a half I spent trying to figure out what the heck really happened in the first one."  
  
"Well…what DID happen in the first one?" Jamie inquired.  
  
"Uh…Kylie came…stuff happened…she got pissed off…Mikey came…he tried to kill her…the poison kicked in…Kylie tried to kill me…the police came…they shot her…both Mikey and Kylie were taken away in an ambulance to the hospital…and, uh, yeah. That pretty much sums it up," he concluded with a decisive nod. Jamie frowned. "I'd go into more detail, but I'm trying to block the painful memory from my mind."  
  
"Oh," Jamie said simply, looking away. "That makes sense." He then turned back to Bit. "But, hey! Wait a second! How'd the police know to come?" Bit's face became perplexed.  
  
"That's what I'd like to know," he said, leaning back in his seat. "The police woman said some mysterious girl called them about it."  
  
"Some mysterious girl…?"  
  
"I'm free, I'm free," Brad's voice came chiming in and both Jamie and Bit turned to see Brad come waltzing in - literally - dancing and singing with a blissful grin on his face. Needless to say, Jamie and bit were shocked. Never had either seen Brad so happy before, especially over the last three days, nor had they ever seen him express his joy so elaborately. Both Bit and Jamie rose, mouths gaping open and stunned eyes wide.  
  
"Brad…?" Jamie dared to ask. Brad turned to them with a giddy laugh.  
  
"I'm free!" he exclaimed. "Oh! I love you guys!" He gave them each a hug as he said this and Jamie and Bit were even more disturbed.  
  
"Brad - are you drunk?" Bit questioned.  
  
"No!" he exclaimed and began to laugh - almost giggle - again. "I'm just free! Free, free, free, fee…" he started to sing again, dancing around the living room. Jamie and Bit, horribly frightened now, took hold of each others shoulders, clutching to each other for a sense of security.  
  
"Okay, I'm really scared now," Bit admitted and Jamie nodded in agreement. Then Leena, Leon, Naomi, and Dr. Toros entered.  
  
"Leena!" both boys exclaimed for she was the first to enter the room and they rushed to her.   
  
"What's wrong with Brad?" Jamie asked.  
  
"Yeah; he's acting really weird…" Bit added and all eyes turned to the joyously dancing Brad. Leena shrugged nonchalantly and then smirked.  
  
"Let's just say that Ray Skyler's no longer a problem," she said deviously.  
  
"WHAT?!" Both Bit and Jamie exclaimed in utter shock.  
  
"It's true," Dr. Toros spoke up. "Ray's Skyler's gone."  
  
"But - but how?" Jamie questioned. Leena's smirk widened and she snickered.  
  
"Is HOW really important?" she began mischievously. "Don't worry about the details, Jamie; it's all been handled." She gave him a pat on the head and walked passed him. Jamie eyed her suspiciously, however. He went to question her further, but Bit cut in, face ecstatic.  
  
"This is great!" he exclaimed, suddenly thrilled. "Because Kylie and Mikey are gone, too!" The rest, besides Jamie, turned to Bit in shock. Then, after a moment, everyone burst into chaotic cheers, laughing and singing and dancing with each other with wild joy. Jamie, however, frowned.  
  
"There's still Dawn, you know," he informed them, although he could not be heard over their cheering. He sighed and folded his arms in an annoyed disappointment. "Wherever SHE is…" Dr. Toros now pulled out a bottle of champagne.  
  
"Leon! Naomi! Stay for the night!" he called over the others. He the popped the cork, champagne shooting out. "It's time to celebrate!" A whooping applause sounded through the living room and the party began.  
  
  
  
By eleven o'clock, the party died out and most of the Blitz team and the entire Fluegel team lay sprawled out on the living room floor. They had partied themselves to sleep, bottles in hand, leaving the living room a complete disaster, the lights off, food all over the floor, and heavy rock music still playing on the stereo system. What a jovial celebration it had been. Only Jamie had not participated in the festivities, having grown disgusted by the other's lack of seriousness and by the fact that they continued on ignoring him, and went to bed in his own room.  
  
Brad was the only one awake. He sat on the living room couch, bottle in hand and a pensive look on his face. He took a gulp of champagne right from the bottle and then smiled. He couldn't help it as he thought of his new found freedom. He had never been so appreciative in his life. All his suffering, pain, and agony had been eradicated and he was satisfied. His smile widened and he took another gulp of champagne, thinking of this freedom and his new optimistic views on life.  
  
Then there was a click - it came from the stereo system. And the rock music stopped; all was silent. Brad sat up straight.  
  
"Hmm?" He listened - nothing. He then looked at the stereo - no one. Who had turned off the music? But it hadn't been turned off for another song came on - a slow, disturbing song with horrifying lyrics and Brad's face fell into panic. The song went as followed:  
  
"I love you…please say you love me, too…these three words, they could change our lives forever…and I promise you that we will always be together…  
  
"Until the end of time."  
  
There was a knocking coming from Jamie's bedroom door. It was loud and forceful, but not frantic and frenzied in the slightest. Jamie stirred, turning over in his bed. He slowly awoke at the sound of the knocking.  
  
"Who is it?" he called sleepily. Then he opened his eyes and the knocking ceased.  
  
To Jamie's surprise there was no one at the door. It was just swung open, an empty dark hallway to be seen and nothing more. He sat up and stared at the door in perplexity.  
  
"I could have sworn I heard knocking," he said aloud. But as he stared at the open door, he felt as if something was beckoning him. But where to? They was only one way to find out. Jamie narrowed his eyes in determination and flung his covers off of him. Then he rose and headed out the door to find out what was awaiting him beyond the endless void of darkness.  
  
Brad panicked. Immediately, he rushed to the others and began waking the, shaking their shoulders and shouting urgently.  
  
"Get up! Get up!" he ordered as the others groaned groggily and slowly began to lift themselves from the floor. Brad grew frustrated by their laziness. "Will you get up?!"   
  
"Jeez, Brad!" Leena now shouted angrily as she sat up. "What's your problem?! Can't you see we're trying to sleep?!"  
  
"He's still alive," Brad whispered frantically. "My God, he's still alive!" The others were either half asleep or just too self-indulged to be bothered or to even fully comprehend what Brad was saying. Instead, they all started grumbling in confusion and annoyance.  
  
"I'm going back to sleep," Leena declared as she went to lay back down on the floor.  
  
"No! No, wait!" Brad pleaded. "Listen!"  
  
All was silent. And then, the music came to their ears:  
  
"I love you…please say you love me, too…these three words, they could change our lives forever…and I promise you that we will always be together…  
  
"Until the end of time."  
  
"SEE?!" Brad whispered, pointing to the stereo system. Leena scoffed as she shook her head.  
  
"So what?" she questioned. "Someone put a sappy song on. Big deal."  
  
"But -" Brad was interrupted by Bit, who yawned loudly and outstretched his arms to the ceiling.  
  
"Yeah, Brad; Leena's right. It's just a stupid song." In his own frenzy, Brad ferociously took Bit by the arm and pulled him off the floor. "Hey! Brad!"  
  
"Turn on the lights! Turn on the lights!" Brad commanded, throwing Bit toward the light switch. Bit was lucky to keep his balance.  
  
"All right, all right," Bit grumbled and plodded over to the light. "Jeez!" He then switched on the light switch. The room remained dark. "Hmm?" Bit questioned in puzzlement. He switched it back and forth and still nothing happened. "Well, that's funny. The lights don't seem to be working…"  
  
"And I'm PRETTY sure I paid the electric bill…" Dr. Toros added, putting a hand to his chin.  
  
"Don't you see what this MEANS?!" Brad persisted anxiously. Everyone exchanged glances of bewilderment.  
  
"No…" Bit answered for the rest of the group, much confusion in his eyes.  
  
"That HE'S still alive!" Brad explained and then fearfully whispered, "Ray Skyler!" A moment of silence past over the others then, except for the music. Then, they burst into laughter. Brad grew defensive. "It's not funny!"  
  
"Look, just because the lights are out and a sappy song's playing on the radio does NOT mean that Ray Skyler is still alive," Leena insisted through her snickers. "You're being paranoid."  
  
"I am not!" Brad protested. "You don't know him like I know him! He doesn't just GO AWAY! He always finds SOME WAY to come back! Besides, what else could it mean, hmm?" Leena sighed.  
  
"THAT…the lights are out and a sappy song's playing on the radio, perhaps?" she suggested mockingly and the rest laughed harder. Brad scowled and clenched his fists in anger. Leena then repeated, "I'm going back to sleep." She went to lay back down on the floor.  
  
But at that moment, a low slurred tremor of a familiar voice came in over the music. Half singing, half speaking, it began to recite the lyrics of the terrifying song as the others slowly began to rise to their feet, a sickening horror filling their faces:  
  
"I love you…please say you love me, too…these three words, they could change our lives forever…and I promise you that we will always be together…  
  
"Until the end of time."  
  
"It can't be," Naomi whispered in fright. "It COULDN'T be!" They all then turned and exclaimed together in utter shock:  
  
"Ray Skyler!" He stood there, head lowered, eyes in shadow, and with a massive blood clot on the side of his head, blood matting his platinum blond hair and rotting on the side of his face. He looked deathly white.  
  
"Brad," Ray spoke now, his voice shaking with an uncontrollable fury. Brad leaped back with a whimper.  
  
"Ray?" he squeaked out nervously.  
  
"How could you betray me like this?" Ray asked, lip quivering. Then his head snapped up. "How could you leave me in a ditch to die?!" Brad cringed at the sight of Ray's wrathful eyes.  
  
"Uh…" he looked to the others for an answer.  
  
"I told you we should have burned the body," Dr. Toros muttered. This was not the answer Brad wanted to hear. He looked to Leena for help. Leena, out to save her own skin, placed her hands on her hips indignantly.  
  
"How could you do such a thing, Brad?" she questioned, feigning her own anger. "How could you do that to poor Ray after he's done so much for you?"  
  
"Leena's absolutely right, Brad!" Dr. Toros joined in, equally eager to save his own hide as well. "Shame! Shame!"  
  
"WHAT?!" Brad questioned furiously. "You two were the ones who -"  
  
"Now don't blame this on US, Brad," Leena interrupted. "We would NEVER do anything like that to RAY! We LOVE Ray!" She plastered a fake grin on her face and flashed it at Ray. Ray didn't seem all that impressed. In fact, he seemed to be growing more frustrated and Leena's smile quickly diminished. She then glanced at Bit. "Bit…?"  
  
"Hey, don't look at me!" Bit exclaimed frantically. "I wasn't even there!"  
  
"SILENCE!" Ray snapped and all was still. He then began to speak in a voice quivering with fury, his face twitching and his eyes bulging out as if he were ready to explode. "Now, tell me, Brad, how could you leave me in a ditch to die? HOW?!" He screamed the last word, foam flinging from his trembling lip and veins popping out of his ghastly white forehead.  
  
"Uh…" Brad repeated again, but stared up at the ceiling this time rather than his disloyal friends.  
  
"And after I told you that I loved you!" He let out a heart wrenching sob then that caused the others to wince. Brad continued to stare stupidly at the ceiling. Then, Ray lifted his head like a savage beast, eyeing Brad with a brutal glare. In a murderous voice, he flatly demanded, "TELL ME HOW."  
  
"Uh…" Brad thought to apologize, but he wasn't really sorry that he had left Ray in a ditch to die. He was sorry, however, that Ray hadn't STAYED in the ditch and just died, but he guessed that that probably didn't count. Still, he supposed he could FAKE an apology, but that seemed almost as difficult as having to tell Ray that he loved him. He just couldn't bring himself to do it, so he continued to stare at the ceiling, a dumbfounded look on his face and shrugged. "…I don't know…" his voice trailed off weakly, unable to think of anything else to say. After all, he didn't think the truth would please Ray all that much, considering it involved him telling how much he hated him and then his inevitable death shortly afterwards. So Brad continued on foolishly, "It was an accident, I guess…" It sounded like a satisfactory enough explanation; at least it sort of resembled an apology, well, in Brad's mind, anyway. Ray, however, was far from satisfied. He growled fiercely and Brad cringed.  
  
"Accident?" he questioned in rage. "ACCIDENT?!"  
"Uh…I GUESS…" Brad answered and chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his head. But Ray was far from laughing; he was fuming. With a barbaric scream, he picked up the nearest bottle of champagne from the Blitz team's and the Fluegel team's celebration of, ironically, Ray's supposed demise, and thrusted it toward Brad. But Ray missed, purposely it seemed, the bottle whizzing past Brad by an inch at the most and then proceed to smash into the wall behind him with a loud crash that thundered in all their ears, the glass shattering to the floor. Brad nearly jumped out of his skin and his frightened eyes meeting with those of the insane Ray Skyler. All was silent.  
  
"That was expensive champagne, you know," Dr. Toros commented in a resentful murmur as he gazed down at the champagne dripping down the wall with a frown.  
  
For some reason, Dr. Toros's remark set Ray off the deep end - worse than he already was, anyway. With a fierce, savage growl that rivaled the growl of Michael Skyler, he snapped and lunged for them - not just one of them - not even two or three - but ALL of them. But he was fearless, even if it was six against one; he knew, with his massive size, he could perchance take all six of them out with a single swing of the fist if he wanted to. The six, unfortunately, knew this too and they feared - how they feared - standing there in a paralyzing fright, a startled scream of terror escaping each of their lips as Ray came for them, hands reaching out for them, fingers sharply curved as if ready to strangle them all.  
  
However, when Ray's hands were only a foot away from Brad's throat, he halted in his stampede. His teeth were clenched and he breathed like a wild beast, snorting and heaving. His eyes were wide and psychotic. And then he twisted those very same wide and psychotic eyes to the left, towards…  
  
Naomi Fluegel. They locked on to her as a hawk would lock onto his prey. And she, suddenly knowing that she was under his fierce glare, could no longer stay frightened, her own stubborn pride and her own bitter hatred of him taking hold over her. Her eyes narrowed and her lips pursed tightly together, but she said nothing.  
  
"YOU," he snarled. "I almost forgot about YOU." She simply raised her chin in defiance. "YOU'RE the one!" His voice raised drastically as he spoke. She lifted her chin higher. Ray suddenly snapped back to Brad, violently grasping onto Brad's shoulders with tremendous force. Shaking him fiercely, he questioned, "How could you let her come between us?! HOW?!"  
  
"Uh…" Brad began weakly. "These things happen…?"  
  
"That's not a good enough answer!" Ray shouted, shaking him even more savagely than before. Then, he heaved his arms around Brad in a bone-cracking embrace and Brad let out a groan of pain through gritted teeth as the others cringed. "And after everything we shared!" Before Brad could ask Ray exactly what was it they "shared," Ray squeezed Brad tighter and Brad felt his body being crushed as he gasped for air. "But NO!" Ray suddenly declared, pushing Brad from him, although he kept a firm grip on his shoulders. "It's not her anymore! It's…it's YOU!" Brad blinked in confusion as Ray's sudden revelation came to his wide, psychotic eyes. "SHE hasn't tainted you; you ALLOWED her to taint you - to taint OUR love!" Brad cringed slightly, still rather puzzled. He still wasn't sure how Naomi had anything to do with his undying hatred towards Ray that had begun when he was a small child, long before he even met Naomi Fluegel. He also couldn't understand how he had "allowed' Naomi to "taint" what Ray thought to be as "their" love, considering Brad was pretty sure that "their love" was basically one-sided and that Ray's undying love for him was just as firm as his undying hatred for Ray. He was also sure that he never had any love for Ray to be tainted to begin with. Yet Ray, with his delusional fantasies, was very convinced of his new revelation with all its flaws, despite the fact that it merely confirmed his insanity further.  
  
And Ray suddenly broke into a hysterical rage, ranting on the top of his lungs: "Don't you SEE?! You've ruined everything! EVERYTHING! You've ruined my life!"  
  
"Funny; I thought it was the other way around," Brad muttered bitterly, but Ray was too involved in his ranting to hear Brad's snide comment and then shoved him against the wall, the others leaping back to give Ray room.  
  
"I see now; I see," Ray continued on, quieter than before but still twitching. "Naomi Fluegel - she cannot be destroyed! She is the immortal evil of the universe - the source - and that - THAT can never be destroyed!" They all turned to Naomi then, all but Ray, to see what Ray saw in her - "the immortal evil" he spoke of; they couldn't. "But YOU!" Ray drilled the palms of his hands into Brad's shoulders, fiercely piercing him against the wall. "You CAN be destroyed!" His hands inched closer to Brad's throat. "Yes, you that has been tainted by the immortal evil - tainted by VILE BETRAYAL - can be destroyed and then your old self - your REAL self - the self that LOVES me - will return!" Brad was pretty sure that he never had a "self" that loved Ray and he also pretty sure that the "self" he was now was his ONLY "self," but he said nothing, allowing Ray to continue his ranting. "YES! I can free you of this immortal evil - free you from Naomi Fluegel! By destroying you, I'll really be purifying you!" And he began to cackle maniacally, as he threw his head back in hysterics. The rest exchanged glances of worry as they nervously watched Ray laughing, realizing that the already deranged Ray had cracked even further, the green veins on his white flesh bulging on the temples of his head due to his loud psychotic laugher. As his chuckling diminished, his eyes locked on to Brad's, leaning very close to him. He asked, "You do want to be purified, don't you?" Brad grimaced and shook his head slightly.  
  
"Not really…" he answered truthfully, looking up at his old friend again - the ceiling.  
  
"That's only because you don't know any better!" Ray exclaimed insistently.  
  
"Sort of…" Brad mumbled, but Ray, as usual, paid no heed.  
  
"Yes! That's what I'll do!" he declared more so to himself than anyone else. "I finally understand what I have to do!" His eyes looked hazy now, as if he were in a daydream rather than reality. With his left hand, he gripped onto Brad's throat and then raised his massive right arm, curling his large fingers into a rock, knuckles sharp and white. The first hung high above them both as if a hammer ready to swing down and crush brad's skull open.  
  
Then Brad thought rather calmly: So this is the end. Well, at least it will be quick.  
  
"For love!" Ray cried as a brave knight of valor would, raising his fist higher in some sort of triumph. Brad closed his eyes tightly, awaiting his demise.  
  
As Ray lowered his fist toward Brad's skull at rapid speed, Jamie's voice came into the room: "Hey, guys; what was all that noise…?"  
  
Then a gun fired.  
  
All stood shocked and silent as the shot echoed through the room and they watched Ray slump to the ground, blood pouring out of the left lower portion of his back. Ray Skyler had been shot.  
  
Brad blinked his eyes open and stared down at the fallen Ray. He seemed to be alive, but barely, his breathing very strained.  
  
And Jamie stood at the doorway, his eyes in a strange awe as they set on Dawn Skyler. In her hand she held a smoking gun.  
  
  
  
Ray held onto Brad's hand tightly as he laid in a stretcher alongside a flashing ambulance car outside the Blitz team's home. The police had already arrived, as did the paramedics and had begun to clean up what was left of the infamous Skyler team.  
  
"I'm sorry, Brad, I'm sorry," Ray uncontrollably sobbed, nearly crushing Brad's hand. Brad tried his best not to wince at the pain, and Leena, who stood beside him, patted him on the shoulder in sympathy. "I didn't mean to," Ray continued to apologize. "And Naomi - she isn't that bad a girl. Tell her I said that, won't you? Tell her for me, Brad."  
  
"Don't worry; we will," Leena answered for Brad, although she had barely been paying attention to what Ray had been saying.  
  
"Oh, I'm so sorry, Brad! I'm so sorry!" Ray wailed and then began to weep elaborately. Brad cringed, almost pitying the poor fool. Then, he forced himself to say the most difficult words he ever had to say in his life:  
  
"It's…ALL RIGHT, Ray." And Ray's eyes, glossy with tears, suddenly gleamed, a glowing smile of joy spreading across his face.  
  
"Thank you, Brad - thank you," he whispered as Brad frowned in dismay. But Ray, as usual, was oblivious to this dismay, lost in his peaceful delusions once more, and Brad decided that it was probably better that way. Ray gave one more squeeze of Brad's hand before releasing him, the paramedics pulling the stretched into the ambulance car. Ray called out: "Come and visit me at the hospital, won't you, Brad?"  
  
"Yeah, whatever," Brad muttered heartlessly and rather unenthused, only half-listening to what Ray had asked. And then the paramedics closed the ambulance car doors, Ray disappearing behind them.  
  
"So?" Leena asked.  
  
"So," Brad flatly replied.  
  
"No more Skylers."  
  
"For now, anyway."  
  
Leena shrugged then and turned away. "Well, I guess you can't win them all, can you? I suppose that we should just be glad that they ARE gone for now."  
  
"For now," Brad repeated, folding his arms. Leena yawned and stretched her arms out.  
  
"Well, I'm going to bed. This has been an exhausting three days, you know." She walked away casually, leaving Brad alone to watch the ambulance car drive off with Ray Skyler.  
  
With all the commotion of the police and ambulance, it took Jamie awhile to find Dawn Skyler. But he finally did; she stood in the desert about half a mile away from the hanger, staring up at the night sky that hung over her as if she were awaiting for his arrival. And after a moment of staring at her, he spoke in a stunned voice:  
  
"You planned this all, didn't you? You called the police on Kylie and Mikey. And then you're the one who knocked on my door tonight and led me to the living room - where you shot Ray."  
  
"So you finally figured it all out." She lowered her eyes to his and smirked. "I told you I had a plan."  
  
"But - but why?" he questioned in confusion.  
  
"Why do you think? I saw an opportunity and I went for it. You all made the perfect distraction."  
  
"You mean - you USED us?"  
  
"Technically," Dawn answered matter-of-factly, although Jamie appeared angry by her callous attitude.   
  
"But I thought you said we were allies!" Dawn shrugged.  
  
"You really shouldn't be complaining. You only had to deal with my unnerving family for three days because of me 'using' you. Besides, I've had to deal with them for fourteen years; I think I have the right to use any means necessary to get rid of them." Jamie went to protest, but frowned, realizing she made a good point.  
  
"Yeah, I guess that's true," he replied reluctantly. After a moment's pause, he then asked, "So now what?"  
  
"Now?" Dawn shrugged again and looked once more toward the sky. "Now…I suppose I bask in my victory."  
  
"But what about Ray and the others?" Jamie further questioned. "What'll happen to them now that it's all over?"  
  
"I'll have them institutionalized," she replied simply, turning her eyes back to Jamie. "I've already made the proper arrangements after my brothers are released from traction - Kylie, too."  
  
"And you?"  
  
"I'll, of course, inherit all the money mother and father left Ray as well as all the assets. After all, Ray won't need the money now that he's being committed to an asylum - neither will Mikey. And, as we both know, the Skyler family IS quite wealthy."  
  
"And all of the wealth be yours now," Jamie replied with a bittersweet look in his eyes. Dawn sighed and shook her head.   
  
"Like I told you before; it's all just business really," she indifferently remarked and then extended her hand to him. "Well, goodbye, Jamie. Perhaps, if things had been different - if we had met at another time or another place - perhaps you wouldn't have just been an instrument I used to eliminate my brothers and Kylie Atwater and gain a large sum of capital in the process. Perhaps - maybe - we could have been more - we could have been partners." They shook hands; it was a short, decisive hand shake and Dawn gave him a brief nod before turning away. She ran her hand through her blonde hair that looked white in the moonlight as it blew with the cool breeze of the night desert. Even with her back to him, Jamie found himself gazing at her with awestruck eyes; she truly was - for all her cruelty, greed, and apathy - a remarkable young girl.  
  
"It was a pleasure doing business with you," she stated curtly as she began to walk away. "Maybe I'll take a risk and invest in you again one day." As she started to fade into the distance, Jamie realized there was one question he had forgotten to ask - one that still baffled him.  
  
"Dawn!" he called out and she stopped in her step, though she didn't bother to turn back. "There's one thing I don't understand. I understand why you shot Ray and why you called the police on Kylie and Mikey - that was all part of your master plan - but why wake me up for tonight? You didn't need me there to shoot Ray."  
  
Jamie could hear a soft chuckle come from Dawn then and she turned her head towards him. ON her face was a smile - not her usual wry smirk, but a great grin, wide with dignity, pride, and triumph. She casually replied, "Well, I couldn't have you miss the big finale, now could I have?" Yet their eyes met then, Dawn's eyes telling Jamie the real reason for her waking him up that night. She turned and left. And as she left, Jamie finally understood what Dawn had wanted him to see in her eyes and what she had wanted him to learn that night by seeing her shoot Ray Skyler:  
  
Only a Skyler could defeat a Skyler.  
  
EPILOGUE…  
  
Mary Champ opened her eyes slightly that night, a stinging pain in her back causing her to awake. She could see her brother sleeping in the bed beside her, a dumb expression across his lazy face, bandages wrapped around his wounded head. And she was in a body cast; all but her head remained free of injury from Ray Skyler. The poor Champ siblings had been hospitalized since the evening before and that's where they laid now: in the hospital.  
  
Mary sat up as best as she could, trying to adjust herself so that her back wouldn't be so uncomfortable. That's when she saw what seemed to be a horrible nightmare, perhaps some sort of hallucination caused by the pain killers she had been given. Yet, even in the dark of the hospital room, she knew what she saw was the truth. Her mouth hung open as if in a silent scream. Then she began to call out to her brother in a shrill, weak, and frightened whisper: "Harry! Harry!" and she tried to move her hand to him to tap him. But it was futile, her arm being heavily wrapped up in a thick cast. She whispered again, louder than before: "HARRY!"   
  
"Harry stirred, slowly awaking from his deep slumber. "Mary…?" He slowly rose up from his bed. "Mary, what's wrong…?" But Mary could not answer, for fear seized her throat. All she could do was stare straight ahead with wide, horrified eyes, body trembling. And with all the strength she had in her arm, she raised it and pointed forward.  
  
Harry's eyes looked forward and his face went pale with horror at the sight that had been laid before him, eyes widening and mouth dropping open. He pointed forward himself, body shaking in sheer fear. "It's - it's -" he stammered and Mary nodded hastily, understanding what he was trying to stay, and swallowed hard. She let out a pitiful whimper.  
  
On the other side of their hospital room lay Kylie Atwater, Michael Skyler, and Ray Skyler, each sleeping peacefully in their own hospital beds. The screams of terror from Harry and Mary echoed through the halls of the hospital.  
  
Then the old grandfather clock in the recreation room at the hospital chimed midnight, signifying the end of the third day. 


End file.
